The Chains that Bind
by Dr. Juicy Cushion
Summary: One fateful night was all it took to change Naruto Namikaze's life forever. Now as the host to a power that rivals that of dragons Naruto must face many obstacles as those who covet his power for their own pursue him. Though faced with pain and suffering the support from his guild, Fairy Tail, gives Naruto the strength to carry on as he and his friends fight onward through darkness
1. Night of Destiny

_This is a story of a guild of heroes, a guild of heroes who saved our town from being destroyed by a great beast. This is a story of our guild's first generation…_

_The once beautiful and radiant town of Magnolia lay in ashes as the great orange fox with nine tails released its centuries of rage upon the unsuspecting town. Its eyes were filled with an endless black void as if to warn any who dared to trifle with it that it would cast them into oblivion. However, there were those who dared to stand up to the might of the creature. Those whom through the power of their eternal bond would stand against the creature with honor and courage; they were the wizards of Fairy Tail._

_The guild of wizards stood united outside their guild hall, the only building in the town that was left standing for the moment. The wizards all readied themselves as the fox's thumping footsteps headed towards them. They had attempted to evacuate the town and conquer the beast but its power had overwhelmed the wizards. All hope seemed lost so it was unanimously decided upon by the members that they would all go down fighting and take their last stand defending their guild hall. _

_Hashirama Senju, The Fairy Tail Master's advisor and right hand man was leading the attack. He stood in front of his guild mates and watched the beast ascend towards them. His long black hair blew brilliantly in the breeze as he fixated his determined gaze on the demon fox "This is where we make our name known; we will go down as the greatest guild in history. Be proud that we are members of Fairy Tail!" he exclaimed creating an uproar of cheers from his members. _

"_Come on let's show that thing who it's messing with!" cheered the beautiful young Chiyo. Chiyo was among the most respected members of Fairy Tail, at a young age she became an S-Class mage and soon after was recognised as the most powerful woman in the guild (besides their master). _

_Hashirama smiled to himself, admiring Chiyo's attitude but still they were faced with quite the predicament. The master hadn't been seen since the fox appeared and he had to take charge and keep everyone calm, truth was he was feeling the pressure. He then felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up to see another one of Fairy Tail's S-Class wizards and one of the people who founded the guild alongside him and the first master, Purehito._

"_Do not worry my friend" he assured with absolute sincerity "our guild has and always will triumph over all obstacles." _

_Hashirama nodded, Purehito had given him the boost he needed "Okay everyone charge! Don't hold back and show that thing the true power of Fairy Tail!" exclaimed Hashirama and all the mages began cheering as they charged towards the giant demon fox, with Chiyo and Purehito in the lead. _

_Hashirama sighed as he prepared himself and charged his magical power, the earth beneath him started to shake as wooden roots began emerging from the ground but just as he was about to release his attack a voice sounded from nearby "Are you sure you're focusing on the right opponent?" it snickered in an ominous tone._

_The wooden roots were quelled as Hashirama shouted "Who's there?" he was instantly responded to by an ominous snicker as a tall figure emerged from the nearby shadows, his hair was as long as Hashirama's but it was spiked, his face appeared human but it gave off a demonic vibe and his eyes were blood red. The man placed his hand in front of his mouth and instantly released a scorching ball of fire at Hashirama who quickly made the wooden roots surround him to protect him from the blast. _

_Chiyo and Purehito were the first to reach the fox and Purehito instantly released his chain magic to surround the fox's legs and trip it over. Chiyo then summoned three puppets and sent them towards the fox, one of them released a burst of ice at the fox while another grew in size beat down on the fox and the final one reequipped a sword and slashed along the sides of the demon._

"_Only two?" questioned Purehito._

"_Gotta give the thing a chance" laughed Chiyo and Purehito smirked at her confidence. The other members of the guild had begun to bare down on the fox with their magic, while they seemed to have the upper hand by incapacitating the fox, the creature was unfazed by most of their attacks. _

_The fox then began roaring as it charged a ball of energy in its mouth "Here it comes!" exclaimed Purehito as he readied himself for the attack._

"_I got this!" exclaimed Chiyo as she brought out seven more puppets to complete her set of ten puppets. As the fox released its bomb Chiyo moved the puppets into a circular formation and the attack was absorbed by the puppets. The guild began cheering at their temporary victory but then Chiyo began glowing as an explosion consumed her and knocked her back._

"_Chiyo!" exclaimed Purehito as he ran over to her, it seemed that her puppets were able to defend everyone from the attack and redirect all its impact onto Chiyo. Purehito began shaking her motionless body but she did not get up. All the guild members stared in speechless horror as their strongest woman lay dead on the ground. It seemed that all hope was lost…until Chiyo began twitching slightly and a small grin appeared on her face which quickly erupted into a fit of laughter._

"_I was just playing dead, now you're all embarrassed!" she laughed as she got herself up off the ground._

"_Chiyo that was not funny!" shouted one of the members of the guild; Chiyo simply shrugged and continued giggling. Purehito stared at Chiyo with a shocked expression, pondering exactly how she survived the full force of a Tailed Beast Bomb. They were all then interrupted from their thoughts as the fox began roaring again. The wizards once again began attacking the beast._

_Hashirama had now gained the upper hand in his fight with the mysterious man as he trapped him in the grasp of his wood magic, slowly tightening the grasp. "Who are you?!" demanded Hashirama._

_The man simply laughed "I am the one who controls the Nine Tails!" exclaimed the man as he released a burst of flames that burnt through Hashirama's wooden prison and knocked him back. Hashirama got up from the blast and saw the figure of a young girl standing in front of him, her hair was light blond and went all the way down to her back and her green eyes were hugely adorable but were filled with a sincere expression. Her white dress was completely untarnished, which was weird given the circumstances. It was the guild master, Mavis. _

_Mavis stared at the man with a stern expression; although her demeanor was often cute when she got serious the girl was a force to be reckoned with. "So it is you who brought this calamity down upon us! Madara Uchiha!" hissed Mavis, her hands glowing with the light of her fairy magic. _

"_Mavis Vermillion, trust you to find me out straight away. Tell you what, you show me Lumen Histoire and I'll order the Nine Tails to stop attacking!" demanded Madara._

_Mavis just glared at him before she turned to face Hashirama "Hashirama I apologise I was gathering the strength I needed to cease this but it seems I was too late. Can you forgive me?" she asked smiling brightly at her friend._

"_Of course master!" replied Hashirama "It's always better late than never!" _

"_I am glad, now I can go into this with a clear mind" breathed Mavis, she then faced Madara once more "If you think I will let a demon from the Book of Zeref threaten me and my guild you are sorely mistaken!" her arm then began glowing as a red emblem formed around it. _

_Hashirama gasped "That's!" _

"_Yes, I intend to end him with this!" stated Mavis as she raised her hand into the sky and began chanting, causing lights to begin swirling around her. Madara attempted to attack Mavis but Hashirama jumped in front of her and knocked him back with a forceful wooden fist._

"_**Gather! O river of light that's guided by the fairies! Shine down and perish the fangs of evil! Fairy Glitter!" **__shouted Mavis as she caused the swirling lights to surround Madara and form a circle around him that compressed in on him and exploded with a massive burst of light that illuminated the entire town. The light faded shortly after and Madara had vanished. _

"_Did you defeat him?" asked Hashirama in awe of Mavis' power._

_Mavis shook her head "For now, but he'll find a way back, he always does" she sighed. She then turned her focus on the Nine Tails. Although it was defending itself from her wizards it seemed that it had ceased attacking for whatever reason. _

"_What are we going to do about the Nine Tailed Demon?" asked Hashirama as he saw it bat away some magical attacks in the distance. _

_Mavis sighed once more "Poor creature" she said "It seeks only one thing but the influences of others cause it to seek destruction and act on rage. I see no honor in destroying it but I cannot allow it to continue harming people" stated Mavis as she placed her two hands together "This is why I took so long to join you in battle, I had to gather my strength to make a new version of this spell" she informed._

_Hashirama gasped, he recognised the stance Mavis was taking; she was going to cast the Fairy Sphere "You can't mean to seal it inside Magnolia!" exclaimed Hashirama._

"_Not exactly" replied Mavis as she placed her hands together in a prayer like symbol and began chanting words underneath her breath. As she did this, four pillars of light shot out from around the Nine Tails that began to close in on it. As the four pillars met they compressed into one pillar that consumed the Nine Tails and it eventually shrunk down into a sphere like shape that was the size of a common ball. The sphere then transported itself to Mavis "I had to revise the Fairy Sphere spell just this once" smiled Mavis._

_The other guild members had made their way over to where Mavis and Hashirama were and began cheering at their victory and the fact that they had survived the threat "Our Master is truly amazing!" cried the members as they cheered. _

_Mavis smiled happily but then she looked at their surroundings, the entire town was in ruins. She quickly turned around so that she wasn't facing anyone "The Town!" she sobbed as tears streamed from her eyes "Look what happened to the Town! It's all my fault why couldn't I have been quicker!" she cried._

_Hashirama instantly began panicking "C-Chiyo comfort her, go on hold her!" he exclaimed and Chiyo just gasped before she slowly went over to Mavis and began to pat her on the back. _

"HOLD IT!" exclaimed a flustered Naruto as he interrupted his mother's story "How exactly does a little girl around my age manage to do all that!?" he questioned outrageously skeptically.

His mother, Kushina, laughed slightly before she punched her son on the shoulder a little too hard "Don't mock our first master Naruto! She was an amazing woman!" she warned.

"Ouch. Okay I'm sorry" pleaded Naruto as he rubbed his shoulder "Still I guess it shouldn't be too hard to believe, especially if I'm going to be guild master some day!" exclaimed Naruto.

Kushina laughed at her son "Of course you are son" she giggled as she ruffled his hair "now get some sleep, wizards like you need to get up nice and early if they wanna get the good missions" she stated and Naruto nodded happily. Kushina kissed him on the forehead and left his room, shutting the door behind her.

As she shut the door Naruto quickly jumped out of the bed and placed his ear against the door. He listened closely and waited to hear the sound of his mother shutting her bedroom door, he needed to know that she and his dad had gone to sleep. Once he was sure he quickly ran over to his wardrobe and instantly began changing out of his pajamas, exposing the orange Fairy Tail guild mark across his belly button area. He then put on his signature outfit, black jeans with a red t-shirt and an orange jacket. He then used his magic to make a clone of himself appear and ordered it to jump into his bed and sleep. Once this was done he quietly opened his bedroom window and jumped out into the streets of Magnolia.

He instantly headed towards the guild hall, see Naruto decided that he wanted to see if he could find that sphere containing the Nine Tailed Fox in it. Not to mention that it was something a future guild master should see.

* * *

Kushina had once again entered Naruto's room, she remembered that she had to tell him something important but when she entered she saw that he was already fast asleep. However she then noticed that the window was wide open "That wasn't like that when I was here a moment ago" she said to herself as she headed over to the window and shut it "Much better" she said as she ceased the cool night wind from entering the room.

Kushina then looked at her soundly sleeping and had an inkling suspicion. She slowly picked up a nearby pillow and slammed it onto her son's head causing him to instantly vanish "I knew it! MINATO HE'S DONE IT AGAIN!" shouted Kushina as she walked out of Naruto's room.

* * *

Three cloaked figures stood a top one of the taller buildings in Magnolia, their faces were concealed by their hoods and their cloaks were adorned in red clouds. One of them was looking at the Fairy Tail guild hall "Hidan, Kakuzu you know our mission we must split up and find the Fairy Sphere which contains the Nine Tails. It is essential for our master's plan that we do not fail" said the woman's voice as she released a flurry of paper that then attached themselves to her back in the form of wings.

"Yes Konan we know what we need to do" said Hidan "now come on let's go get our hands dirty!" he exclaimed and he ran over to the edge of the building and jumped off.

"Fool" muttered Konan "Kakuzu I trust you to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble. Fairy Tail houses many powerful wizards but thankfully a lot of them aren't here at the moment but still we must be cautious" warned Konan.

Kakuzu nodded "Of course Konan. Besides it's not like either of us can die so even if he gets into trouble he'll be able to worm his way out of it."

"Don't rely on that healing ability too much, just focus on the mission" instructed Konan and with that she took off into the sky leaving Kakuzu to chase after Hidan.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto had made it to the guild hall without being caught out by anyone. When he entered he instantly noticed that no one was around at all, he did hear a slight snoring in the distance but assumed that someone had simply fallen asleep somewhere in the dark.

Laughing at his successful plan Naruto began to walk through the guild hall but then stopped at the counter "Wait a minute!" he shouted out loud "How the hell am I supposed to find this thing I've got no idea where the master would keep it…where do I start!?" he exclaimed. As he was having his little outburst he managed to knock over one of the glasses on the counter that fell to the ground on the opposite end. After the sound of the shattering glass Naruto could hear someone uttering a stifled "Ouch" and he froze instantly. He watched as a small man climbed up to the top of the counter, although he was short he was incredibly old and powerful, after all he was their guild master.

Makarov groaned and rubbed his head "What's with all the racket?" he grumbled "can't an old man get some shut eye?" he asked he then noticed that he had fallen asleep behind the bar "Wonder how that happened?" he thought to himself.

"Gee I wonder old man!" exclaimed Naruto Makarov then jumped as he had only just noticed that it was Naruto who was in the room.

"Oh well if it isn't young Naruto" beamed Makarov "What brings you here at such an hour? Children need to sleep you know…and so do old people" questioned Makarov, muttering the last part of his sentence.

"I came here to see the sphere with the fox demon inside it! Since you're the guild master and I want to see it I think it's only fair that you show it to me!" demanded Naruto, jumping up onto the counter as he did so, slightly invading Makarov's personal space.

"Well I see Kushina has been reading you stories from the guild's archives again…she really needs to stop doing that" stated Makarov. He then thought for a minute "Well I guess it couldn't hurt just to give you a sneak peak…but don't tell Hiruzen okay!" warned Makarov.

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin with excitement "Really!? Thanks Master! Don't worry I won't tell Mr. Sarutobi anything I swear!" assured Naruto.

"Okay well here we go" said Makarov as he extended his palm and caused a small ball of light to manifest in his hand that eventually became a larger sphere of light. Naruto was in awe; it seemed that his mother's story was true.

* * *

Minato and Kushina had left their home in a flurry; they couldn't believe that Naruto had done something so reckless. Well actually, Kushina was the one who was completely outraged, Minato thought Naruto was just going out to have some fun as boys do but he wasn't about to argue with Kushina.

As Minato and Kushina searched the town they both felt a chill run down their spines and they instantly looked at each other "Can you feel it?" asked Minato.

"Someone's following us" said Kushina and Minato nodded at her. Both of them began looking around to see if it was Naruto hiding from them or something worse. Suddenly a flurry of paper began swirling around them and trapping them in a magical white paper barrier as a woman in a black and red cloak descended upon them.

"You are wizards from Fairy Tail correct?" she asked as she pointed at Kushina's red guild mark on the back of her right hand and Minato's yellow guild mark on his neck. Kushina and Minato exchanged glances but remained silent for the moment; they somehow knew how to work in sync with each other even without speaking, it's what made them infamous S-Class mages. "Very well then" said Konan and she raised her hand above her head and caused the paper barrier to close in on the two of them. Just as the barrier was about to make contact with the two, Minato took Kushina's hand and teleported them out of the barrier, negating Konan's attack.

Seeing that her attack had failed Konan tried a different move, she made a bunch of coloured pieces of paper appear before her before she caused them to form a spike formation and she cried "Shikigami Dan-" but just before her attack could finish she began coughing wildly as blood began spurting out of her mouth "I see now" she said as she looked at Minato and Kushina, wiping the blood off of her mouth, "I'm dealing with Fairy Tail's Yellow Flash and Red-Hot Habanero…I did not anticipate this" stated Konan, a slight hitch of panic in her voice.

"Tell us" said Minato "What business do you have with Fairy Tail that warrants you attacking us?"

"What I want has nothing to do with you; you're just in the way. Tell me where I can find Makarov Dreyar!" demanded Konan icily.

"If you want the Master, you'll have to get through us first!" exclaimed Kushina, she was beginning to get riled up.

"Kushina go and find Naruto. I'll deal with this idiot!" exclaimed Minato.

"Honey are you sure? I mean to be honest you seem a bit off lately, like the other day it took you a little longer than usual to take out that whole dark guild" asked a concerned Kushina.

"W-whole dark guild?" questioned a concerned Konan.

"Yes Kushina I'll be fine…I think I can handle one wizard" replied Minato.

"Okay…be safe" said Kushina before she ran off towards the guild hall. She hoped Naruto would be there but she decided that it would be best to warn Makarov about what had just happened…there could be more where she came from.

Once Kushina had left Minato returned his attention to Konan "Now where were we?" he said before he teleported behind her and blasted her with sheer force.

* * *

Naruto was staring in awe at the glimmering fairy sphere; he couldn't believe that the first master actually contained some demonic creature inside a tiny ball of light. Naruto glared intently at the ball of light but he instantly jumped in freight when he thought he saw a pair of eyes staring right back at him, but he dismissed it as his imagination.

"Can I hold the ball?" asked Naruto pleadingly.

"Sure, what harm could it do?" replied Makarov happily as he handed the sphere to Naruto but just as the light construct made contact with Naruto a small crack manifested on it and it instantly began pouring out light that began swirling around the room, slowly changing from a gold to an orange colour.

"Um is that supposed to happen?" asked Naruto.

"No, no it definitely shouldn't be happening!" exclaimed Makarov as he began flailing his arms around in the air like a lunatic.

The door to the guild hall suddenly burst open as a frantic Kushina came running down the hallway "Master we have a problem!" she exclaimed as she ran towards Makarov. The orange aura that was swirling around the room instantly began pouring out of the door the moment Kushina had opened it.

"Can't it wait?" asked Makarov awkwardly.

"Why what's wrong?" asked Kushina she then noticed Naruto was sitting down near the Master and she stared at him wickedly "What did you do?" she asked.

"Nothing I swear it just cracked when I touched it, it's not my fault!" he exclaimed frantically, trying to appease his mother.

"What just cracked?" demanded Kushina. A violent roar could then be heard outside, a roar that shook the entire guild hall violently. Kushina, Makarov and Naruto quickly ran outside to see what was going and when they saw that the worst possible outcome had manifested. The Nine Tailed Demon Fox had manifested just outside the town and it was not happy. Its massive form could be seen clearly all the way from the guild hall and all nine of its tails were flailing wildly. Some of the civilians who noticed it instantly began screaming and soon there was a panic around the whole town.

"Kushina!" exclaimed Makarov "Get the children and civilians to safety, I will deal with the beast" ordered Makarov.

"No master" disrupted Kushina, causing a confused expression to form on Makarov's face "My training and my magic are perfectly suited for this problem. You help the citizens but also find Minato he's dealing with some wizards who were searching for you and I somehow feel the two are connected" she ordered.

"Kushina…you have a son, a family I am old I should be the one to put my life on the line not you!" exclaimed Makarov.

"You make it sound like I'm going to die or something. We all know the Red Habanero doesn't go down that easily" laughed Kushina "please master the guild still needs you" she added. Makarov nodded reluctantly, he knew that there was no changing Kushina's mind once she had decided on something, and so he let her have her way.

"Very well Kushina. Remember you have the whole guild behind you!" said Makarov.

Kushina nodded and then turned to face Naruto. She knelt down to his height and smiled warmly at him "I need you to stay here okay. Stay safe and if anything should happen to me I just want you to know that…I love you Naruto." Naruto nodded awkwardly, he wasn't sure what was going on exactly but he knew that he had to listen to his mother and so he decided he would listen to her…just this once. "Good boy" she said before she quickly ran off into the distance, preparing to tackle the Nine Tailed Fox one on one.

As Kushina left Makarov told Naruto to go inside the guild and wait for any civilians that would come there for shelter "It's very important that you stay here Naruto, can I trust you with this task?" asked Makarov. Naruto nodded furiously and he quickly ran inside the guild hall.

Once Naruto was inside Makarov began making his way throughout the town settling civilians and making them take shelter inside the guild. As he made his way into the town centre a voice began echoing in his head "Makarov, it's me Hiruzen. What's the situation?" said the voice. Hiruzen was Makarov's second in command and was one of the people Makarov trusted the most since the two of them joined the guild together. Hiruzen was adept in many magical skills, one of them being telepathy.

"The beast has escaped right now Kushina is dealing with it but there is something else, intruders have come here but Minato is dealing with them" explained Makarov.

"How on Earthland did the creature escape from Mavis' prison?" asked Hiruzen.

"I'm not sure but I fear it may have something to do with Naruto Uzumaki" replied Makarov "Any way that is not our concern at the moment. For now we must look after the people but we also need to find Minato; Kushina suspects that these intruders may have something to do with the fox" explained Makarov.

"Very well, I'll round up some of our veteran members and we'll escort the citizens to safety. You find Minato" said Hiruzen.

"Thank you my friend and if you could would you mind sending some of our elite to my location" requested Makarov.

"Shouldn't we be sending re-enforcements for Kushina?" asked Hiruzen.

"They'd only be getting in her way" stated Makarov.

"Very well then" said Hiruzen and with that he disconnected their telepathic link. Makarov sighed and he then went off to find Minato.

* * *

Minato had been easily combating Konan; he decided that he would simply make her exhaust her energy before he took her out. He seemed to be having no trouble at all but then the swirling orange lights of the Nine Tailed Fox's essence soared over the skies above him and Minato watched as they formed into the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, the creature that was allegedly incapacitated by the guild. He watched as the great beast roared into the sky and Minato knew he had to wrap things up quickly.

Noticing that her opponent was distracted Konan released a flurry of white paper towards Minato. He barely noticed this in time to dodge, only one of the paper shreds managed to gently scratch his face slightly drawing blood as it did so. "You missed" taunted Minato.

"Did I?" asked Konan as she pointed to the cut on Minato's cheek. He placed his hand on the wound and noticed that it was a lot deeper than he originally thought.

"I don't have time for you anymore I have to help the town!" exclaimed Minato as he jumped up towards a nearby building. Just as he was about to land Minato felt a sharp stabbing pain in his knee and he instantly fell to the ground. He had somehow managed to cut his knee.

"When did that happen?" questioned Minato, he heard Konan snickering and looked up to see that she had been joined by a male who was wearing the same cloak as her. The male then pulled a dagger out of his knee and it instantly healed up, it was the same injury as Minato's. The man seemed to be holding a piece of paper with blood on it, paper similar to the woman's magic.

Minato then heard a sound from behind him and he turned around to see a barrage of fire, water, earth, wind and lightning heading towards him and he quickly teleported out of the way making sure that the attack did not hit him. Out of the shadows appeared a third figure wearing the same cloak as the other two, his face was covered by a mask but Minato could tell that he was male. He then joined his other two allies and stood directly opposite Minato.

"I see it seems that you three want me to get serious" said Minato in a bit of an excited tone "It's been a while since I had to use this" he stated as his body began to glow with a bright yellow cloaking. He disappeared from his position and then reappeared behind the three enemies, slamming the ground beneath them and causing them to all go flying off in different directions; the ground remained intact.

Konan instantly took off into the sky and surrounded herself in a shield of multi coloured paper shards. She then looked down to her two partners "Hidan, Kakuzu this is Fairy Tail's Yellow Flash, we must use precise techniques to defeat him!" she yelled.

"Yeah, yeah Yellow Flash my ass, he's nothing special!" exclaimed Hidan.

"Fool" muttered Kakuzu.

"All this fuss for little old me? I'm flattered" mocked Minato before he disappeared in a yellow flash again, this time he appeared in between the two males. In his palms he held two glowing balls of yellow light and he placed them on either side of him shouting out "Kinetic Burst!" and instantly the light began pouring over Hidan and Kakuzu and caused them to vibrate violently before the energy exploded upon them, leaving them lying on the ground unconscious.

Minato then disappeared in a yellow haze again and appeared on top of Konan. Anticipating this, the purple haired woman sent a barrage of orange paper towards him but Minato once again released a yellow glow from his hand but this time it spread around Konan's paper and caused the attack to fall to the ground like ordinary paper.

"Not only can he increase potential energy to a dangerous point but he can destabilise and negate it!" thought a panicked Konan to herself. She was about to try another attack but then Minato suddenly fell to the ground.

Minato looked up to see what had happened; he didn't like that he was being repeatedly interrupted. The man, Hidan, whom he had obliterated before was now standing in front of him in perfect condition, Hidan pulled a knife out of his shoulder and Minato felt the pulling sensation come out of one of his wounds. "That's body-link magic!" thought Minato to himself "I've never seen anyone use it like this guy before."

The other man, Kakuzu, had also miraculously recovered from his injuries and proceeded to place his hands in a special stance, creating a magic circle in front of him that repeatedly changed colour. He then shouted the words "Five Elemental Chaos!" and a barrage of elemental whirlwinds came pouring out of the magic circle and instantly collided with Minato causing the entire area to vibrate violently.

"Did we get him?" asked Hidan.

Konan glared sceptically at the area where the attack hit, waiting for the dust to settle so she could see who was victorious in the battle.

* * *

Kushina had made her way to the area where the fox was. She stood atop one of the buildings in the town and watch as the enraged creature began heading towards the town.

As soon as the creature drew near her Kushina instantly responded by releasing a set of blood chains from the tips of her fingers, each of them instantly connected with the creature and began tearing through its body and draining the very core of its magic.

The creature roared in pain and rage as it attempted to thrash around and release itself from Kushina's chains, but her magic was binding. "I will not let you harm any of my allies or my people you beast!" exclaimed Kushina as she tightened the chains of blood causing them to inflict more pain on the creature. The fox began roaring violently and began swinging the chains around causing Kushina to fly around the area violently; however she didn't seem too worried.

"Blood Chain Limit Release!" exclaimed Kushina and then the blood chains that were already attached to the fox began to branch off and create more chains that dove into the fox's flesh. This allowed Kushina to gain some ground and weaken the fox further. The fox instantly stopped thrashing and seemed to focus for a minute, being concerned Kushina tightened the chains but then a yellow glow began emitting from the fox, a glow that travelled through the chains and connected with Kushina. The glow surrounded her and knocked her away from the chains, severing her connection with the fox. "That magic! It's like Minato's!" she exclaimed. The yellow glow that was surrounding her suddenly changed to a dark pink colour that instantly seeped inside Kushina's skin causing a burning feeling to be felt throughout her entire body as she screamed in pure agony. It seemed that the Nine Tails had a few tricks up its sleeve.

In response to the attack Kushina caused her own blood to pour out of her; not a lot of it but enough to rid herself of the infection that the fox had inflicted. She then used the blood to create a giant chain and sent it directly at the Nine Tails. The chain instantly connected with the fox's neck and Kushina began to spread her own infection throughout the fox. Kushina then used this connection to pull herself closer to the fox and upon impact she grabbed onto the fox's head and caused the blood to begin boiling inside the creature. The creature instantly began to cough out its own blood and Kushina noticed that as this happened its eyes began to change colour to and from a deep black void to a normal blue eye colour.

The creature instantly collapsed to the ground after Kushina released her attack. She could hear the creature groaning in a demonic tone. But as Kushina stood there listening to the demonic groaning, her jaw slowly began to drop as the sound of the creature began less demon like and more humanly audible until Kushina clearly heard the fox groaning the name of someone over and over again "Naruto!"

"What did you say!?" demanded Kushina but she quickly jumped back as the fox's eyes once again filled with an endless black void and it got up and swung its massive form around. Kushina wasn't quick enough to dodge it and she was knocked back by the incredibly monstrous attack. "What do you want with Naruto?!" she yelled as she got up. But the Nine Tails didn't answer but instead it raised its head up to the sky and arched its tails around its body. "What is that?" asked Kushina in stark horror as she watched the creature charge up this incredible attack.

* * *

The dust had settled on the area where Kakuzu's attack had struck Minato, revealing that the Yellow Flash had indeed been struck by the lethal attack. Minato was staggering as he got himself up from the blast "I'll admit" panted Minato "You guys are actually pretty good" he stated as he leaned against a building for support.

"Still not dead" sighed Konan "We'll just have to change that" she warned as she spread a flurry of white paper around herself. Forming a whirlwind "We no longer acquire your assistance" she stated "Kakuzu, Hidan retrieve the Nine Tails and kill any that stand in your way!"

As Konan's white paper descended upon Minato, he used his straggling strength to teleport out of the attack zone and once he was in the clear he released a yellow light from his hand "Never Ending Destabilisation!" he shouted and the yellow light began pouring out of his hand like water out of a tap. The light spread around the enemies causing different outcomes. Konan was instantly launched backward at an incredible speed while Hidan was thrown up into the air and Kakuzu was stopped dead in his tracks.

"Fool if you wish to drag out your death as painfully as possible then I will gladly assist you!" exclaimed Konan as she composed herself after Minato's attack. She seemed to gather her strength and her eyes began to fill with darkness as she shouted the words "Shikigami Parade: Black Chaos!" As she said this, the area instantly filled up with darkness as swirling black paper began to surround Konan like a hurricane. She eventually released the swirl of papers and they instantly headed for Minato and as each shard struck Minato it caused an immense amount of pain to sear throughout his body. As if each paper was triggering every pain receptor in his body at the same time. Minato tried to focus through the pain in order to escape but the more he tried to focus the more intense the pain became.

"Shit!" cursed Minato "How the hell am I supposed to get out of this!?" he exclaimed. Konan began to laugh wickedly as she intensified the amount of paper she was creating. She then looked at Hidan and Kakuzu who were still standing around "You two get going, I already told you what to do!" she exclaimed.

"Konan you shouldn't be using that attack, you know what it does to you" stated Kakuzu as he watched blood begin to slowly seep out of Konan's nose.

"Fool, do you think I am not capable enough to maintain my own magic. Now get going!" she hissed.

"I always forget that it doesn't just affect you physically" sneered Hidan and Konan glared at him with her vicious black eyes.

As Konan returned her focus to her battle she was suddenly struck with a giant fist that knocked her right through a nearby shopping stall. The other two enemy wizards looked over to see the Fairy Tail guild master, Makarov, glaring at them with anger. Behind him were two more of Fairy Tail's elite. On his left was a man roughly in his thirties, he was a tall muscled man with shoulder length orange hair that was slicked back, which complimented his stubbly beard. He was adorned in a tattered high collared black cloak that covered up most of his clothing, but it was clear that he was well protected beneath the cape. His name was Gildarts Clive.

The other was also a male but he was much older than Gildarts, his hair was white and spiky and it went all the way down to his waist, though he had it tied up. Like Gildarts he was also relatively tall and well built but he also had two red lines descending from his eyes. He was attired in a green jump suit with a red vest-jacket over it and his shoes were very traditional brown sandals. He was known as Jiraiya the Toad Sage.

"Shit Kakuzu what the hell do we do now!?" exclaimed Hidan as he saw Makarov, Gildarts and Jiraiya appear before his eyes. All three of them were well known wizards and all had a reputation of being powerful beyond belief.

"Well Hidan we do the logical thing and get the fuck out of here" replied Kakuzu, he rarely lost his cool like that.

The two of them quickly began to run in the opposite direction of the three wizards but then the buildings began to collapse around them and block their exits "You aren't going anywhere" said Gildarts as he finished crashing the walls down.

"Gildarts" uttered Makarov.

"Yes Master" replied Gildarts.

"You're paying for that" he sighed and Gildarts' jaw instantly dropped.

* * *

Naruto was still in the guild hall at this point in time. Naruto had been helping keep the citizens calm alongside two of his friends in the guild; Gray Fullbuster and Cana Alberona.

Gray was only a year younger than Naruto and had spiky black hair. He wore clothes that were similar to Naruto's only the colour scheme was different. He had joined the guild about a year ago at around the same time Naruto had. Although they both had different motivations for joining the guild the two of them got along pretty well although Gray has a bit of a bad habit of taking his clothes off every now and again.

Like Gray, Cana was also a year younger than Naruto but she had been in the guild a while before either of them joined. The girl had medium length black hair that she liked to keep in a ponytail and often wore an orange dress. She seemed to get along just fine with everyone in the guild, often at times she would do Tarot Card readings for some of the guild members.

Naruto was busy tending to some of the panicked and injured citizens who had made their way over to the guild for refuge when something strange happened. A voice began calling to him in his head "Naruto!" it cried. He could tell it was the voice of a young woman and she seemed to be crying out to him in pain, desperately pleading for him to help her. Naruto thought it was one of the girls in the guild hall and he looked around to see if anyone was calling for him, but he was mistaken.

Again the voice sounded out to him this time in a more forceful tone that seemed slightly monstrous **"Naruto!" **it bellowed **"Come to me!" **it ordered. Naruto's eyes instantly changed and gave off a hollow vibe, as if he had become mindless. He instantly forgot that he was supposed to stay in the guild and help out and began to walk out of the door. One destination was in his mind at the moment, the outskirts of the town.

"Hey Naruto where do you think you're going, we need you here man!" exclaimed Gray as he ran over to Naruto just as he was about to walk out the door. Gray saw his eyes and noticed that something was wrong and instantly began to shake Naruto "What's wrong?" he asked but Naruto just pushed himself out of Gray's clutch and continued on his way.

"What the heck?" asked Gray as he watched Naruto walk away "Hey Cana!" shouted Gray to his friend who was standing around idly. She heard him call her and walked over to him "Something's wrong with Naruto, I think we should go after him" he explained.

"He's gone out there alone?" asked Cana and Gray nodded "He could get really hurt, come on let's go!" she exclaimed. Gray nodded and the two of them quickly headed out but just as they were about to leave a voice sounded from behind them.

"Hey where are you guys going?" asked the voice of a young girl and they turned around to see a girl with bright pink hair that was tied over her massive forehead. It was Sakura Haruno. Apparently she was a member of the guild although no one had ever seen her perform any type of magic at all, let alone take a mission.

"Nothing Sakura just stay inside okay" replied Gray and he quickly ran off with Cana following closely behind, she didn't want to deal with Sakura for a moment longer "My god she's annoying!" exclaimed Gray.

"Tell me about it" replied Cana and the two of them laughed. The two of them could see Naruto in the distance and followed him, maintaining a healthy distance so that they didn't get caught.

* * *

Hidan and Kakuzu noticed that they were now cornered and outnumbered 2 to 3. They tried to find an exit but nothing solid enough that they could use to escape in time. Minato had gotten up from his previous attack with Jiraiya's help he managed to stay conscious.

"Are you okay Minato?" asked Jiraiya as he poured his natural energy into his former student.

"Yeah, I would have been a lot better had that bastard not stabbed me in the shoulder and knee" stated Minato.

"How did someone titled the Yellow Flash manage to sustain such basic yet crucial injuries?" asked Jiraiya.

"Some weird type of Body-Link Magic" replied Minato. Jiraiya thought for a moment as he examined the enemies.

Meanwhile Hidan had thought of an idea to get him and Kakuzu out of the mess "Okay Fairy Fail fools" he taunted and the four Fairy Tail wizards instantly focused their attention on him "Let us go or else the Yellow Flash loses his arm" threatened Hidan as he placed his blade over his arm.

"Then you would lose your arm too, you're bluffing" stated Gildarts.

"Am I now?" asked Hidan, he then sliced his blade right through his arm but nothing happened aside from Hidan's screams of pain. Minato remained perfectly intact "What!?" exclaimed Hidan.

"My magic severed the connection between the two of you and restored the balance" explained Jiraiya.

"Well that's it we're done for" cried Hidan as he surrendered to the helplessness of the fight. His arm stopped gushing blood as it slowly grew back to its former self as if nothing had happened. Kakuzu just groaned; he was unamused.

"No!" groaned a voice from the rubble behind them "We haven't lost yet!" exclaimed the voice and everyone watched as Konan emerged from the rubble. Her robe was in tatters and her face was covered in dirt, not to mention her hair was a catastrophe "Now I will show you the true power of Red Dawn!" she exclaimed. "Shikigami Soul: Rainbow Angel" as these words came out of Konan's mouth a huge amount of paper surrounded her and consumed her which grew and grew until it was towering over them in the form of a mighty angel made up of different coloured paper.

Immediately responding to this Makarov used his own magic, Titan, to grow to an extremely large size, rivalling the growth of Konan. "Minato!" bellowed the voice of Makarov "Go to your wife, we can handle this battle." Minato nodded before he quickly teleported on top of a nearby building and disappeared.

"Come on let's help Konan!" shouted Hidan but as he did Jiraiya descended upon him and punched him across the face. His fist was glowing with a lime green light as it impacted upon him. This caused Hidan to roar in pain as his face became deformed.

"Why is this healing so incredibly slow!?" exclaimed Hidan as he rubbed his face.

"It's the effects of natural energy, better watch yourself kid coz it's about to get a lot uglier for you, and I'm not talking about your face" warned Jiraiya. Hidan instantly re-quipped a three bladed scythe and ushered for Jiraiya to come at him.

Kakuzu reluctantly got up from where he had been leaning and charged up an attack from within his palm and released a barrage of fire and water towards Jiraiya. But before it even got close to Jiraiya, Gildarts moved himself in front of the attack and immediately destroyed it "You guys really don't know who you're messing with" laughed Gildarts.

"Gildarts Clive" stated Kakuzu and Gildarts stopped laughing "Infamous user of the almighty Crash Magic, able to destroy anything at will...the odds are stacked against me but I will at least try to beat you" stated Kakuzu as he ran at Gildarts and released his Five Elemental Barrage but Gildarts swiftly destroyed the attack.

Thinking quickly Kakuzu jumped back and began coating himself in a cloak "Reflective Mirror Water Cloak" he said as he bathed his body in a coating of water and he ran at Gildarts once more hoping that his magic would be able to reflect Gildarts' magic. As he came down upon him Gildarts simply caught him in his palm and released a burst of crash magic that obliterated Kakuzu, sending him crashing into the sky and back down as he lay motionless on the ground.

Gildarts smirked "Maybe one day there will be someone out there who can actually challenge me" he wondered out loud.

"Only a monster would be able to do that" said Jiraiya as he walked over to Gildarts, he had also won his battle.

Gildarts looked over to see Hidan lying on the ground motionless with an expression of pure horror on his face "What did you do to him?!" exclaimed Gildarts.

"Couldn't be bothered dealing with some stuck up kid so I just made him hallucinate. Right now he's been separated into a million pieces and buried alive beneath a shrine. He can't die though, only sit there for eternity in pain" replied Jiraiya.

"That's ruthless!" laughed Gildarts as he slapped Jiraiya on the back in a friendly gesture.

"What about you, did your opponent make you move a bit this time?" asked Jiraiya.

"Not even a bit" replied Gildarts and the two of them resumed their laughing. Gildarts then looked up to see the Titan Makarov opposing the Angel Konan "Think we should help him out?" he asked.

"Nah let the old man have his fun" stated Jiraiya.

Konan had been trying to overpower Makarov by unleashing the devastating effects of her coloured paper upon him, but they couldn't even scathe him "Dammit, I've used up too much magic on that Black Chaos attack" she sighed to herself.

Makarov then swung his giant fist at Konan and blew a hole right through the centre of her paper angel "This man is titled a Wizard Saint. What was I thinking trying to oppose him? We need to get out of here, Nagato I'm sorry!" she shouted to herself. She then used the remnants of her magic to turn her angel into a whirlwind that descended upon Hidan and Kakuzu before fleeing the area. Konan had successfully escaped from certain damnation.

Makarov sighed "Well that was anti climatic" he said as he began to shrink down to his regular form. Gildarts and Jiraiya were standing their waiting for him with accomplished looks on their faces. "Looks like we won" stated Gildarts.

"Not quite yet!" exclaimed a voice from above them as an old man descended towards them. He was as old as Makarov but was definitely much taller. He also had more hair. It was Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Master's second in command.

"We have a problem" he stated and the other three wizards looked at him with curiosity as he explained the situation to them.

* * *

Kushina had managed to keep the fox on the outskirts of town but now it seemed to be charging a devastating attack. She wasn't sure what kind of effect it would have on the town if the fox landed its attack, she only knew that she absolutely had to stop it.

"I'll have to use that technique...Naruto I'm sorry it looks like I won't be coming back" she said as she took a stance instantly creating a pool of blood around her.

"Kushina!" shouted the voice of Minato as he teleported next to his wife, crashing onto the ground a bit as he did "Stop it, I can't let you do that technique Naruto needs you!" he exclaimed.

"Minato I have to stop this thing the whole town is depending on me and I swore I would defeat it, this is the only way I can do it!" she exclaimed.

"No Kushina, I will be the one to sacrifice my life! As your husband and Naruto's father I will protect you both! It's my duty!" he exclaimed.

"No Minato I won't let you do this. Don't make me watch you die because of my weakness!" she exclaimed tears falling out of her eyes. The ball of energy that the fox was charging had begun to reach completion. It was as if it was charging the energy of its century in solitude into one attack.

"No Kushina. It's because of your strength that I have to do this. Once the bomb is gone you are the only one who can take that fox down!" he exclaimed. Kushina began to cry even harder as Minato pleaded with her. He bent down to his wife and kissed her, knowing that it would be the last time they would embrace.

The next few seconds went by in incredible slow motion as Kushina watched the fox release its attack and Minato dash towards it. He used up all of his remaining strength as latched onto the energy attack and teleported away. In the distance a mountain could be seen exploding and Kushina knew that Minato had died and she began to cry until she heard a voice from behind her "Dad!" it cried and Kushina turned around to see Naruto standing there with a pale white expression on his face; he had seen the whole thing.

"No, Naruto you shouldn't have seen that!" exclaimed Kushina, her blood was now boiling as she glared at the Nine Tailed Fox. Kushina began to feel a blood rush as she felt an insatiable rage build up inside her and she glared at the demon fox with pure rage and agony in her eyes "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" she exclaimed as a bloody aura began to surround her and she launched at the fox. She created a series of blood chains that formed from her own body and sent them crashing towards the creature, they penetrated directly through its body and Kushina immediately pulled them back out and swung them around this time slicing them through different parts of the fox's body. The creature began to roar in agony as Kushina repeatedly devastated it, the fox could do nothing against Kushina's blind rage.

Naruto was staring in horror at the scene before him, he was still speechless from what he had witnessed earlier. It seemed to have snapped out of his trance though. Gray and Cana were standing back in the distance, they didn't know what to do.

Kushina came back down and put all of her magic into one final blow as she used the remnants of her blood to create a ball of blood that she then threw directly at the fox and inside its mouth. The ball then detonated and caused blood to pour out of the fox at an alarming rate as it collapsed onto the ground; it was beaten.

Kushina panted heavily as she fell onto the ground "Did I use up too much magic?" she thought to herself as she tried to keep herself conscious. She then glared at the fox, she knew she hadn't killed it but she managed to defeat it but she noticed that its eyes had changed once more.

The fox looked around in a panic, it tried to get up but fell back down "What happened?!" it exclaimed out loud "Oh no...what have I done!?" it said in a depressed tone and Kushina swore she could hear the creature sobbing but she was then distracted by Naruto who had now approached her.

"Mum what happened, where's dad?" he asked, tears in his eyes."

"Naruto" she panted "I'm sorry, I failed" she sobbed and Naruto began to realise what had happened and he bent down to hug his mother and the two of them began to cry in each other's arms. They didn't even notice that the situation had changed in the distance.

The fox was still wallowing in despair when a strange man appeared before it, he was adorned in a cape the same as the three members of Red Dawn and he carried a large blade on his back but his face was covered by a strange mask that only revealed his eyes. His identity was a complete mystery. The fox looked down upon the man "You...Tobi!" it exclaimed but then it looked ahead and noticed something "Naruto!" the fox exclaimed and suddenly its form transformed into a vibrant orange mist that travelled towards Naruto.

"Damn" sighed Tobi as he followed the mist.

Kushina looked up when she noticed the change in the magical pressure, she saw the fox turn into a mist that headed straight before them and she quickly ushered to Naruto "NARUTO RUN!" she exclaimed. Naruto didn't realise what was happening and Kushina tried to push him away but she just fell over. The mist appeared above them and the face of the fox could be seen as it poured down and surrounded Naruto, eventually forming itself with his aura and merging itself with him. Naruto screamed for a moment as his eyes began glowing but it disappeared after a short moment and he was fine.

"What was that?" wondered Kushina as she attempted to get to her feet. Suddenly the Masked Man from earlier appeared out of nowhere directly in front of Naruto and immediately brought his sword to Naruto's neck. "NO!" exclaimed Kushina and she was instantly filled with an indomitable amount of energy as she ran at the Masked Man and pushed him away from Naruto "I won't let you harm him!" she exclaimed as she raised her arms to either side as a sign of protection.

The Masked Man did not say a word and he quickly charged at Kushina but instead of colliding with her he simply fazed through her and after a moment there was an explosion that knocked Kushina away from Naruto. The Masked Man once again appeared in front of Naruto but just as he was about to bring his sword down on Naruto, Gray jumped in front of him and projected a shield of ice shouting "Ice Make Shield" and the blade simply cracked the surface of the ice.

"Card Magic: Explosion!" shouted Cana's voice as she jumped above the ice shield and threw it down towards the Masked Man causing an explosion on his mask. The Masked Man instantly smacked Cana away and then fazed through Gray's shield and grabbed him by the neck and cast him aside to where Cana was. Naruto had attempted to make shadow clones but the Masked Man just slashed through them. Just then Kushina jumped in front of Naruto and let the Masked Man's Sword slice right through her but just as she did she used her remaining willpower to muster up some magic to spread her blood through the blade and onto the Masked Man causing him to fall to the floor and writhe in agony as Kushina's blood infected him.

"NO!" exclaimed Naruto as Kushina's body fell into his arms "Mum please don't die!" he exclaimed as tears began falling down his face.

"N-Naruto" groaned Kushina as she used her remaining life force to speak with her son "W-we w-will always love you" she uttered, Naruto's tears were falling onto her face as she did so "I really wish I could see you grow up and guide you through the hardships that you will face in your life. If only I could be there for you...but remember that you have Fairy Tail and I know that it will turn you into a shining light" she said as she attempted to smile at her son but she began to cry and cough before she slowly passed on in his arms.

Naruto continued to sob as he held his mother's body in his arms; her blood was strewn all over his clothes. Gray and Cana watched in sadness as Naruto cried in his mother's dead arms, they knew that he needed to be alone for the moment.

Nearby Makarov, Hiruzen, Gildarts and Jiraiya watched in solemn silence as they made sense of what had happened. They had arrived only moments ago but with the crater in the distance, the missing fox and Kushina's lifeless body in Naruto's arms, they had gathered what had gone down. "We...we were too late" stated Makarov in a sincerely depressed tone "If I had only gone instead of Kushina we could have avoided this...I have failed as Guild Master!" he exclaimed. The other wizards remained silent, each of them confused with their own thoughts.

Naruto continued to sob but he slowly looked up as he heard the Masked Man get to his feet and begin laughing "Foolish woman, your magic was only effective while you were alive. I didn't know S-Class wizards were allowed to be stupid" he sneered and he continued laughing.

Naruto instantly began to turn red as he was consumed with rage and an orange aura began to surround him. The Masked Man stopped laughing when he noticed this. Naruto put his mother's body down and got up, his face had become slightly more demonic and his nails had sharpened slightly he then screamed loudly as a blue ball of energy appeared in his hand. He charged at the Masked Man with incredible speed and slammed the ball of energy directly into the chest of the Masked Man; it quickly expanded and knocked him away with immeasurable force. Naruto then returned to his mother's body and knelt down next to her and continued to cry. Makarov and the others saw what had happened and knew that something strange had happened and it had to do with the Nine Tailed Fox and Naruto.

* * *

_Meanwhile, along the coast of Fiore..._

A woman was walking along the sandy shores of the coastal beach; she was a rather average height with an average build and her hair was tied into two blonde pig tails. She was wearing a gray kimono style blouse that was wrapped by a dark blue obi that matched her dark blue pants. Around her blouse she also wore a grass-green haori. But her appearance often fooled people as they didn't realise that she was also one of Fairy Tail's S-Class wizards, Tsunade Senju. "Boy it sure is a lovely evening isn't it Tonton?" stated Tsunade as she looked down to the pink pig next to her that was wearing a yellow cat suit and had a set of pearls around its neck.

"Boyou!" exclaimed the pig but then it cleared its throat "yes Tsunade it is quite a lovely evening" she said in a rather posh accent.

"Still I can't shake this feeling in my gut...like something terrible is happening" stated Tsunade.

"Maybe it's because you just blew all your earnings from the SS Quest" suggested Tonton.

"Not a word to the Master about that Tonton or I'll turn you into bacon and feed you to the guild!" warned Tsunade.

"How rude!" scoffed Tonton, Tsunade laughed and the two continued to walk along the shores.

The two eventually came across something strange; a young girl was lying on the sand seemingly unconscious. One of her eyes was covered in a patch suggesting that it was injured but that's not what Tsunade's attention was drawn to. She was more intrigued by her beautiful scarlet hair. "Hm she looks like Kushina...not to mention she's in pretty bad condition, but could she be..." wondered Tsunade out loud before she went over to the girl and picked her up "Come on you're coming with me" stated Tsunade as she picked her up.

The girl suddenly woke up and noticed that she was nuzzled in a pair of extremely large breasts and instantly began to flail around "What's going on!?" she demanded immediately.

"Don't worry I'm going to take care of you" replied Tsunade as she tried to hold onto the girl "My name is Tsunade Senju, what's your name young lady?" she asked.

The girl had now calmed down once she realised that Tsunade meant her no harm. Tsunade could tell that the girl had clearly been through an ordeal and she didn't seem to trust her either, but Tsunade was determined to help her. "My name is Erza" whispered the girl ever so slightly.

"WHAT!?" shouted Tsunade startling the already overwhelmed girl "I didn't catch that" she said; Tonton rolled her eyes.

"My name is Erza" said the girl in a more audible tone.

"Well that's a lovely name, is it just Erza?" Tsunade asked.

"No my name is Erza...Scarlet" she said.

Tsunade smiled at her "Well Erza Scarlet, it's a good thing I ran into you because I'm going to take good care of you, okay?" smiled Tsunade and Erza then noticed that she had a lime-green guild mark on her right breast.

"That mark!" exclaimed Erza "Are you from Fairy Tail?" she asked.

"Ah so you've heard of us, do you know someone from our guild?" asked Tsunade.

Erza looked down at the ground with a sad expression "I did know someone from your guild" she stated.

Tsunade could tell that this girl had a lot more issues than a rough night "Well Erza Scarlet" she stated "I'm gonna take you to Fairy Tail and on the way you can tell me how you ended up washed up on a shore while we go" stated Tsunade she then turned to Tonton "Tonton lift the girl up will ya, she's had a hard time okay!" she demanded.

Tonton instantly sprouted a pair of wings and flew over to Erza and lifted her off the ground "Hello Miss Scarlet, I am Tonton, pleasure to meet you" said Tonton as she lifted Erza off the ground. Erza was too speechless to say anything and with that the three of them headed to Magnolia Town to return to Fairy Tail.


	2. Dawn of a New Day

**A/N: ****Hey readers! Sorry I haven't updated this story in a while I've been completely swamped with university work and assignments but I powered through in order to get this chapter out for you guys. Also chapter three is currently in the making so hopefully it won't take too long to get out and the holidays are coming up so I'll have even more time to write! **

**Anyway, thanks for all the positive feedback from the last chapter it was really good motivation to continue the story. I just wanted to note that some people found that they were unsure of Naruto's age and I probably didn't make it very clear so I've tried to clarify that in this chapter hopefully you guys pick it up if not just let me know. **

**So enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think. Ttyl Juicy. **

* * *

In a secret cavern, deep within a range of mountains, hid a secret base that contained a large depiction of a mighty dragon with ten heads. Surrounding the giant statue stood a set of giant pillars that emerged from the ground but had platforms on them that seemed ancient but were seemingly designed for standing on. On the first pillar the figure of a man wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it appeared in an illusory form as he raised his hands causing the torches in the room to ignite and fill the room with light. The man then brought his hands down and shouted out "Come!" and then, one by one, other illusory forms began to appear on the erected pillars. Standing next to the man was the figure of Konan and further down along the row of pillars were Hidan and Kakuzu. The other people were concealed by the hood on their cloaks.

"Where is Tobi?" asked the first man (who was presumably the leader) and everyone turned to see an empty pillar at the end of the hallway.

Konan was the only one to offer an explanation "We seem to have lost him after the incident in Magnolia, I'm sure he'll turn up eventually you know what he's like Pain" she said as she turned to address Pain.

"He's probably too scared to show his face after he completely fucked up in bringing back the Nine Tails" jeered Hidan.

"Do not act so smug Hidan after all it's not like your part of the mission was a pure success!" snapped one of the other cloaked figures.

"Look, our job was to keep the more powerful wizards distracted while Tobi retrieved the Nine Tails, I'd say we did a fine enough job" replied Hidan.

"You allowed the Yellow Flash to escape and disrupt the Fox's attack. Had you distracted him long enough the fox would have decimated the town and given Tobi enough time to capture it!" hissed another.

"What? You wanted us to take on a Wizard Saint and three elite wizards at once?" barked Hidan.

"ENOUGH!" exclaimed Pain and the room was instantly silent "Quit bickering amongst yourselves about events you cannot change. All we can do now is move forward with our plan"

"Pain what are our next moves?" asked Konan.

"Nothing" stated Pain bluntly and everyone in the room exchanged hidden glances "So far our attempts to track and contain these beasts have been...difficult. Based on the current circumstances we will have to reassess the situation and take more precise measures to achieve our ultimate goal...but it will take some time before we can make our move again" explained Pain.

"How long are we talking?" asked one of the hooded figures.

"Who knows; days, weeks, years even. We will have to wait for the opportune moment but for now just focus on honing your skills. Our waiting time is not to be used for you fools to slack off!" ordered Pain.

"Yes Master" shouted the others in unison.

"Good now go on I will summon you when I need you next" and with that all of the illusory forms vanished from the room save for Pain and Konan who remained standing next to each other "What is wrong Konan?"

"Nagato" she began, addressing him with a different name causing him to twitch slightly "Why must we hold our plans off for so long?" she asked.

"With the Tailed Beasts the way they are now it will be much harder to restrain and capture them. We need to hone our skills and resources but most importantly we must watch them closely...a Jinchuruki is much more troublesome than a tailed beast on its own" stated Pain (Nagato). Konan simply nodded in understanding before the two of them vanished from the room.

* * *

Tsunade walked through the door of the guild hall with Erza walking timidly behind her and Tonton walking with an incredibly uppity stride right next to her. Tsunade looked around the guild hall and instantly noticed that there wasn't a single presence inside "Hm that's strange" she muttered she then looked down at Erza who had begun to fidget with the bandage around her eye. "Hey you shouldn't play with that it could damage your eye more" warned Tsunade as she smacked Erza's hand away from the bandage.

"I'm sorry it just really hurts" replied Erza as a tear fell down her cheek. Tsunade looked at the girl with an expression of empathy and sadness on her face. She had spoken with her on the trip back to Magnolia and had found out that the poor girl had been kidnapped at a young age from her village and raised as a child slave where she was tortured and abused on a daily basis. She had no knowledge of peace and what the world was really like and her only source of comfort were her friends and a man whom they all called Grandpa Rob who bore the guild mark of Fairy Tail. If it was the same Rob that Tsunade once knew then it was important that she inform the Master right away.

Tsunade didn't know why she was drawn to the girl in such a way, maybe she saw a fragment of her younger self in the red-headed girl. She knelt down to her level and examined her eye wound "I'm sorry I couldn't do much to help ease the pain. If only I was some type of medical expert" laughed Tsunade "Come on I'll go find Master Makarov and he'll take you to someone who can fix you up, okay?" assured Tsunade.

"Tsunade" interrupted Tonton "I can't sense a single person in the guild at all, they must be elsewhere for whatever reason" she explained.

A look of concern spread across Tsunade's face "Come on" she instructed as she walked out of the guild hall, she had a bad feeling that something devastating had occurred while she was away on her quest. Erza ran after Tsunade, the iron short sword in sheathe on her side rattled as she did so. As the group walked through the town, a booming sound could be heard from above as rain began to fall from the sky. Tsunade began to run through the town with one destination in mind. Erza and Tonton ran after her but had no idea where the woman was leading them.

They eventually came across a clearing that lead into a small but beautiful garden. At first glance it seemed like a rather happy and tranquil place but in fact it was actually a cemetery where Fairy Tail buried most of the deceased. Tsunade stared into the distance as she overlooked the cemetery, the rain made her vision distorted but she just managed to make out the figures in the distance "Um, Tsunade what are we doing here?" Erza asked.

"I'm sorry Erza" said Tsunade and Erza gave her a puzzled expression "It seems you're gonna have to wait a little while longer for some help" she said before she took off through the cemetery and towards the group of people in the distance.

"What's going on?" asked Erza to Tonton.

"My dear...this is where the guild buries those who are...no longer among us" explained Tonton and a look of understanding contorted with sadness dawned on Erza's face "It seems while Lady Tsunade was away on a quest something terrible has happened" sighed Tonton "Boyou" she cried as she trotted after Tsunade with Erza tailing her from behind.

As Tsunade approached the crowd of people she saw that her fears had been confirmed, someone in the guild had been killed "Oh dear god!" exclaimed Tsunade as she stood at the back of the crowd and tried to see who had been killed she then felt someone grab her arm and she immediately turned around and prepared to punch them but she stopped herself when she saw who it was "Hiruzen I'm sorry you caught me off guard" she apologised as she retracted her fist.

"No need for apologies my dear, nothing I couldn't have handled" he stated.

Tsunade attempted a smile but was too riddled with concern, she could hear the Master's voice from the front of the crowd and people crying all around her "What happened?" asked Tsunade in a hushed whisper as not to disturb the ceremony.

Hiruzen sighed "In a violent and unforeseeable crisis Minato and Kushina paid the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect the town from the Nine Tailed Fox" whispered Hiruzen with a tone of sadness in his voice.

A look of horror spread across Tsunade's face as tears began to swell in her eyes, she looked into the crowd and saw the young Naruto up at the front with a face full of tears; next to him was Jiraiya who had placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulders. "How" sobbed Tsunade "How could this happen? It doesn't make sense!" she said through choked back tears as she wiped the dampness of tears fused with rain drops off of her face.

"That night has left a lot of questions for us with no answers" he stated as he focused his concerned gaze on Naruto.

"Where is the fox now? Let me have at it!" exclaimed Tsunade as the ground beneath her left foot caved in causing her to lose balance slightly.

"That's the part that is most concerning" stated Hiruzen and Tsunade instantly looked at him with intrigue boiling in her eyes "The fox seems to have disappeared within Naruto and we've yet to figure out the reason" he explained. Tsunade was speechless.

Before their conversation could continue, Erza and Tonton entered the area. Erza approached Tsunade but focused her attention on the crowd of people in front of her. "Oh dear!" exclaimed Tonton causing Erza to look down at her.

"It appears that Minato and Kushina have been slain. How awful, that poor boy!" she cried as a tear fell down her rosy pink cheeks. Erza looked out into the crowd and saw the back of someone with spiky yellow hair. He was standing at the front of the group.

"Who are Minato and Kushina?" asked Erza as she continued to look at the funeral ceremony. She felt a harsh despair in the pit of her stomach.

"They were two of our most brilliant wizards and two absolutely wonderful individuals. They have a son who's your age. I can only imagine what he's going through" sighed Tonton. Erza continued to look at the yellow haired boy.

"Who is this young lady?" asked Hiruzen, breaking Erza out of her trance and causing her to turn around to face Tsunade and Hiruzen.

"Her name is Erza Scarlet" stated Tsunade and she went on to explain Erza's situation to Hiruzen. Erza turned around while they continued to speak and she continued to watch the funeral ceremony.

* * *

Naruto stood at the front of the crowd at his parents' funeral, he had tried to contain himself but he couldn't hold back the tears as they seemed to be endlessly streaming down his face. No one could blame him though, after all he watched Minato jump into death to save the whole town and his clothes are still stained with Kushina's blood after she died protecting her son.

Standing next to him was his godfather Jiraiya who was mentor to Naruto's father. On the other side of Naruto stood Gray and Cana who were both offering their moral support to their friend. Master Makarov was standing before everyone as he delivered the eulogy. In front of him was a beautifully decorated display with a picture of Minato and Kushina with Naruto that was surrounded by flowers; although the rain had ruined some of its effect.

"Today we say farewell to two of our most cherished members. Kushina and Minato Namikaze were two shinning lights in our guild who were an example for all wizards everywhere of how to live a fulfilling life. Kushina was a radiant and warm woman who would always be there for any of our guild members if they needed her. She was very much a mother to many of the younger people in the guild and although she may have had a temper on her she was one of the most kind and understanding people I have ever known. Kushina had an impact on every single one of us but none more so than her husband Minato. Minato was a man of true virtue and a born leader; I have no doubt that he would have been the next guild master had his time not come at this much too cruel of an early date. Minato knew honour and he knew what true responsibility was, even giving his life in the name of his guild. Although their lives were ended abruptly they had a fulfilling and accomplished life, which is more than what most people can hope for, and that is thanks to their son Naruto" said Makarov in a very solemn voice, it was evident that his heart was very much in his words as he looked at Naruto with a sincere expression on his face "Now if anyone from the crowd wishes to say a few words...now is the time to" he stated and he stepped down after extending the invitation.

Naruto instantly panicked as a sensation of butterflies gripped his stomach "Jiraiya I'm not ready to go up there yet" he hissed in a panic.

"Naruto, you don't need to go up there everyone will understand if you don't" whispered Jiraiya.

"No I have to, I just need more time" assured Naruto. Jiraiya exhaled heavily before he slowly took a step forward and stood where Makarov was earlier. He looked out onto the crowd and cleared his throat.

"The Master already touched on this but I think it's important that we all know more about this" he began "Minato and Kushina lived a life of purpose...some would say that they are very lucky to die having achieved that...some of us spend our whole lives trying to achieve that goal. Now since I'm not really good with the emotional words like the Master I'll tell a story about the day Minato and Kushina gave my life a purpose...the day they named their unborn son" said Jiraiya as he looked at Naruto to see that tears had once again begun swelling in his eyes.

* * *

_Year X765..._

_Jiraiya had just returned to Magnolia Town after a few months, he had completed one of the more difficult SS Requests from the S-Class Wizard Request Board. He and Tsunade had gone off on a request to slay an army of monsters that had formed in the Southern Continent. _

"_Ah it's good to be back home" said a delighted Jiraiya as he and Tsunade re-entered the town of Magnolia for the first time in a long time. _

"_Tell me about it, I can't wait to have a proper meal and shower" added Tsunade as the two of them proceeded to walk through the town. _

"_Yeah well I am going to miss being in close range of those boobs you got there Tsunade haha!" laughed Jiraiya but he was quickly silenced as Tsunade landed a fierce blow in his abdomen._

"_Next time I'll use full force!" she hissed; Jiraiya just let out a stifled moan as Tsunade retracted her fist. By now some of the citizens of Magnolia had noticed them and begun cheering at the return of two of Fairy Tail's greatest. _

_After the crowd dissipated the two wizards went their separate ways; Tsunade headed over to the guild hall to inform the Master that they had returned (as most wizards do when they return from quests) however Jiraiya had somewhere more important that he had to be; he had to go visit Minato and Kushina. To Jiraiya, Kushina and Minato were two of the closest people to him and while he treated the guild as family, Kushina and Minato had always been closer than most to him. _

_In fact, Jiraiya had wanted to take Minato on the quest with him and Tsunade but he had remained adamant that he wanted to remain in Magnolia to take care of Kushina, who was pregnant. Since Minato couldn't go with him, Jiraiya promised that he would come visit them the minute he got back to town and so here he was fulfilling that promise._

_Jiraiya knocked on the door of the Namikaze home and waited eagerly, but patiently, for them to open the door. The door opened and in the doorway stood a little girl who couldn't have been older than four, she short black pigtails and deep brown eyes "Can I help you Mister?" asked the girl cutely._

_A look of horror had now spread over Jiraiya's face as his jaw dropped "What the heck!?" he exclaimed "How did Kushina give birth and have the child grow so much in three months?" he blurted out as his jaw continued to drop further towards the ground. The girl then shut the door leaving a dejected Jiraiya standing alone on the footpath._

"_Jiraiya is that you?" asked a voice from behind him and he instantly turned. As he did his face turned from dejected shock to hyper glee as he saw Minato standing next to his still pregnant wife Kushina._

"_Oh Kushina thank god you're still pregnant!" exclaimed a teary Jiraiya as he leapt into the arms of his two friends. _

"_Hey you're back!" exclaimed Minato "How was the quest?" he asked curiously._

"_Ah nothing Tsunade and I couldn't handle, it was more like a vacation than a quest" replied Jiraiya; his mind instantly flashed through the many moments where he had watched Tsunade get changed and she had proceeded to beat him within an inch of his life...but it was worth it._

"_It's so good to see you, I'm so glad you made it back in one piece" beamed Kushina "Especially if you acted like your usual self with Tsunade" she added with a discreet mumble._

"_Kushina" stated Jiraiya in a serious tone "While I am overjoyed to see you again you shouldn't be on your feet this late in your pregnancy" lectured Jiraiya._

"_Your concern is touching but I refuse to sit around just because I'm pregnant, I can still move around town...and take a quest or two" she smiled as she said the last part._

"_Jiraiya you should know that Kushina isn't the type to just sit around and do nothing" laughed Minato "Anyway why don't you come inside for a proper catch up" he offered._

_Jiraiya subtly leant in towards them and pointed to the house that he had just knocked on the door of "I don't mean to alarm you but I think there's a bunch of squatters in your house...want me to take care of them?" he whispered. _

_Minato and Kushina both began to laugh "Jiraiya that's not our house" stated Kushina and Jiraiya's jaw once again dropped._

"_We live in the one three doors down" corrected Minato and Jiraiya began to wail in embarrassment. _

_Minato and Kushina lead Jiraiya into the correct house where they took a seat in the living room. The three of them sat around the table and listened to Jiraiya's stories of his SS Quest with Tsunade while Minato and Kushina exchanged their own stories about what had been happening in their lives, mostly pregnancy related things though. That's when they touched on a topic they had wanted to discuss with Jiraiya._

"_So Jiraiya" began Minato "We found out while you were away that Kushina and I are going to be having a boy and we've decided to name him Naruto."_

"_Wow that is such a unique name...you know if I ever write a book I am going to name the main character Naruto" interrupted Jiraiya. _

_Kushina and Minato exchanged awkward glances "Yes anyway" continued Minato "We were talking and we would be honoured if you would become Naruto's godfather" said Minato with a smile on his face. Jiraiya looked speechless but Kushina smiled at him and nodded to reassure him that they were serious. _

"_Wow of course I would be honoured to be his godfather!" exclaimed Jiraiya and he quickly got up and hugged the both of them "I promise I will look after all three of you as long as I have the ability to move!" assured Jiraiya._

The rain was now beginning to pour harder as Jiraiya began to conclude his story "From that day on I swore I would never let any harm come to any of them and that I would always try my best to be there for all three of them...but I failed them and all I can do now is continue to try and look after Naruto...and I promise I will until the day I die" said Jiraiya sincerely as he concluded his story. He walked back over to Naruto and offered him a weak smile; Jiraiya had been trying to contain his own tears for Naruto's sake but he was reaching his limit. Naruto offered Jiraiya a hug before he stared at the coffin display at the front of the crowd.

Naruto knew that it was now or never, if he didn't go up and say anything he wouldn't be able to do it ever again. He slowly moved from his position and stumbled shakily over to where Jiraiya and Makarov had spoken previously. He looked out into the crowd to see Jiraiya's reassuring expression. He also saw the faces of the other guild members, all of them were looking at him with sorrow, and he could tell that all of them felt for him and wished to comfort him; their faces gave him inner strength but still he felt like he could break at any minute.

Naruto cleared his throat "I just wanted to say a few things" he began but he instantly stopped when he saw something at the back of the audience. His eyes began to widen and he felt a clenching pain in his chest as he stared at the figure of a girl with long, flowing red hair. Naruto began to tear up as he fell to his knees crying, that girl's hair reminded him so much of his mother's that it was terrifying. He continued to cry when he felt a hand place itself on his shoulder he looked up to see that the Guild Master's advisor, Hiruzen, had stepped forward.

"Don't worry Naruto, I will speak for you. This is all too much for any child to handle after watching their parents die so do not feel ashamed" he assured. Naruto cleared out his eyes and he got up and stood next to Hiruzen.

Hiruzen cleared his throat and looked out to the crowd "To those of us here who possess the mark of the guild, everyone is family. The desire to protect one's family builds thicker and stronger bonds between everyone in the guild. If the heart of the guild is embraced by everyone in it then the guild will be alright no matter what happens. So when we lose a member of our family our bonds will grow stronger and we will all be there for each other in our time of sorrow but rest assured we will never forget those family members who have died" said Hiruzen in a voice that was inspirational as it was heart warming. He then turned to Naruto "Naruto as a family in of itself you will never be alone as long as you are a member of Fairy Tail."

Hiruzen's words had touched everyone, it seemed to be a fitting thing to say since the deaths of Kushina and Minato would leave a scar on the guild that will take a long time to heal. Soon after the touching words, the crowd of people began to thin out leaving only Naruto, Makarov, Jiraiya and Hiruzen. Even Gray and Cana had to leave but they told Naruto they'd stop by his place later to check up on him; and they'd probably stay with him for the night.

Naruto stood at his parent's coffins and watched as they were buried beneath the ground. A final tear fell down his face as he said "Bye mum, bye dad" and walked away from the graves "from now on I will be strong for you! So wherever you are, don't worry about me!" he said to himself in his mind as he walked over to Jiraiya.

"Come on kid let's get you home" said Jiraiya as Naruto approached him. The two of them proceeded to make their way home, but as they were about to leave Naruto was quickly swept up by a pair of hands and firmly nuzzled against a warm chest as Tsunade grabbed the boy and began to hug the life out of him.

"Naruto" gasped Tsunade as she continued to hug Naruto with teary eyes "I am so sorry Naruto! If you need anything you come to me okay? Anything at all you just say the word!" she proclaimed as she continued to smother Naruto in her chest.

"Mmmff!" exclaimed Naruto as his face began to turn red and he forcibly removed himself from within Tsunade's chest. His face had turned completely red and he was gasping for sweet breath "Thank you Granny Tsunade" panted Naruto, the words caused Tsunade to twitch slightly, "but I think I will be okay I have to stay strong!" he vowed as he attempted an assuring smile.

Tsunade just grinned before she ruffled his hair "Of course you will be" she said.

Jiraiya then tapped Tsunade on the shoulder "Any chance I could get the same deal?" he asked suggestively.

Tsunade's facial expression quickly turned from warm and loving to pure anger as she began to steam out of her ears "LIKE HELL YOU PERVERT!" she exclaimed as she punched Jiraiya across his jaw knocking him to the ground. Naruto just shook his head and face palmed.

Jiraiya got off the ground and dusted himself off, Tsunade had her arms folded and was scolding him "Come on Tsunade I was just trying to lighten the mood for the kid is all" he pleaded but Tsunade simply turned her head away from him.

"Guys stop" interrupted Naruto and the two of them looked at him "I know everyone thinks they need to be smothering all the time but I need to prove that I can be strong on my own! I'm gonna be strong just like them!" exclaimed Naruto. Tsunade and Jiraiya both exchanged looks before they smiled at Naruto.

"We know Naruto, you've always been strong willed and we have absolute faith in you" assured Jiraiya.

"But don't forget that we are all family and we won't stop looking out for you, or anyone else in the guild" added Tsunade. Naruto smiled at the two of them before he hugged them.

Just then Makarov approached them "Naruto" he began "If there is anything you need...I'm sure you know that you can call on anyone in the guild and we'll be there" stated Makarov and Naruto gave him a nod to reassure him that he was well aware of all the support he had "Good" stated Makarov, he then turned to Tsunade "Tsunade, a word" he beckoned and she nodded before the two of them walked away. Naruto watched as Makarov lead her to where Hiruzen was and next to him was the red-haired girl from earlier. Naruto couldn't stop staring at her; it was like looking at a younger version of his mother.

He was abruptly interrupted from his thoughts when a voice from above him shouted out "Boyou!" and Naruto quickly looked up to see Tonton flying down towards him "Naruto" she said in her emotional voice but she couldn't think of anything to say so she placed her two front feet at the base of Naruto's legs in a hugging motion as she sobbed gently.

"It's alright Tonton" assured Naruto and the teary pig looked up into his eyes "I'm gonna be fine" he reassured "I'm a Fairy Tail Wizard after all!" he exclaimed as he gave Tonton a thumbs up.

As Naruto said this Jiraiya smiled to himself "Just like Kushina" he mused silently "Naruto come on" he called and Naruto quickly bid farewell to Tonton as he and Jiraiya left and headed home. Naruto looked back once more to see the girl but she was covered by the figures of Tsunade, Hiruzen and Makarov

* * *

"What is wrong Master?" asked Tsunade as they approached Erza and Hiruzen. Erza was staring mindlessly into space.

Hiruzen cleared his throat "Tsunade" he began "We're going to take Erza here to Porlyusica to get some medical aid for her eye" Tsunade shuddered at the mention of the hermit medic.

"I see, it makes sense since she is the only one we know of who can properly heal her" said Tsunade as she gave Erza a warm glance.

"Um excuse me" said Erza and the three adults all focused their attention to her almost instantly "I'm sorry I know you've all suffered a loss, I know that feeling all too well, but if I may ask. Is it alright if I join your guild...I've got nowhere else to go" she asked as she sobbed slightly.

"Child this guild is a place for anyone to call home...of course you can join" replied Makarov kindly.

"You are very much welcome into our guild...Tsunade will look after you, won't you Tsunade?" suggested Hiruzen.

"Of course I will" replied Tsunade as she laughed awkwardly.

"Thank you so much" said Erza.

"No thanks are needed" replied Makarov "now let's go get that eye of yours fixed up" he offered and Erza nodded contently.

Makarov, Hiruzen and Tsunade made their way with Erza to a small clearing in the middle of a forest East of Magnolia Town. Inside the clearing stood a large tree, at first it looked like an ordinary tree but on closer inspection there was a camouflaged staircase that lead to a wooden doorway; it appeared as if someone lived inside the tree.

Makarov walked up to the door first with the others behind him, he cleared his throat and sighed before he knocked on the door; as he did so Tsunade tightened her grip on Erza as if to protect her from whatever was on the other side of that door. The door slowly creaked open and out came a relatively tall, frail and slim woman, she had bright pink hair tied into a bun and her eyes were blood red. She wore a dark green blouse and long maroon skirt, but these were mostly concealed by the crimson cape that she wore which covered most of her body. "What do you want?" she demanded instantly, her tone indicated that she didn't have people over very often.

"We need you to heal this girl's right eye" replied Makarov but Porlyusica didn't move or say anything; she only gave Makarov an unimpressed look. Makarov sighed "Please Porlyusica, you're the only one who can help us" he pleaded through gritted teeth.

"I'm very busy" she stated bluntly.

"Porlyusica!" exclaimed Hiruzen "she was once under Rob's care" he stated in a more calm tone. Porlyusica's expression changed to a slightly more concerned look before she stood aside and ushered for them to walk through.

It didn't take long for Porlyusica to get to work and draft a synthesis to cure Erza's eyes. She noted that the damage was beyond repair and so she would have to create a synthetic eye to replace the old one, it would work just the same as any ordinary eye so Erza wouldn't notice much difference. Once Porlyusica had concluded her work she handed Erza a mirror to show her just how normal her face looked.

As soon as Erza took hold of the mirror she was speechless "Thank you so much ma'am!" she exclaimed instantly as she looked at her new and improved eye. Tsunade, Makarov and Hiruzen all smiled as they watched Erza begin to tear up with joy "It's perfect" she cried and a single tear rolled down her unharmed eye which caused confusion to fill the room.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Porlyusica "Impossible! I mixed the formula perfectly" she exclaimed as she ran over to her medical book and began to examine what could have possibly gone wrong.

"Its okay" interrupted Erza "Its perfect ma'am besides I've probably used up too many tears in my life that I can't cry properly anymore."

Porlyusica nodded at her before she signalled for Makarov and Hiruzen to follow her into the other room, she wanted to know more about what Erza knew about Rob.

Tsunade sat down next to Erza and smiled "Erza" she began "I know you've had much too hard a life for any child to endure but I promise you from now on that's all going to change, you're going to know true happiness and joy" assured Tsunade. Erza began to tear up again as she leant in to hug Tsunade.

The sound of the door opening and shutting was then heard, it seemed Makarov and Hiruzen had left the house. Porlyusica then came into the room "Now that this is all over leave, I hate humans" she demanded. Tsunade quickly picked up Erza and bolted out of the house.

"THANK YOU!" exclaimed Erza as she was hauled out of the house. Once they were gone Porlyusica smiled to herself ever so slightly.

* * *

_A few days later..._

The sun had just risen into the sky when Naruto woke up, he had a very important and personal mission that he wished to accomplish and it was going take up the entirety of his day. After getting dressed and eating a bowl of ramen, the young wizard slowly crept out of the house as quietly as he could, he didn't want to wake up Jiraiya who was assumedly snoozing away in his bed but little did Naruto know that Jiraiya had also left the house even earlier that morning.

Naruto made his way through the streets of Magnolia; the town had a much more different atmosphere than it did during the busy hours of the day. For the majority of the day Magnolia was incredibly lively and the noise of people speaking and going about their business could be heard all throughout the day and that was a complete contradiction to what the town was like now. Now it was dead silent and blissfully peaceful and although there was a chill in the air, Naruto appreciated the peace of the early morning, it made it seem like the chaos from a few days ago was but an insignificant nightmare.

Naruto had now neared the edge of the town where he had watched his mother die, approaching the area gave him a bone chilling feeling but he shrugged it off, reminding himself to remain strong and focused. He then focused himself and caused a clone to manifest beside him "Okay my training starts now!" he told himself and he quickly ran off into the distance with the clone following behind him.

As Naruto ran onward he progressively created more clones of himself that followed him towards his destination. He was trying to increase his magic power as well as his physical stamina and endurance by testing his current limitations. As Naruto neared a crater in the Earth he stopped running, the five clones that he had managed to summon were all standing behind him. Naruto breathed heavily, trying to take in as much as oxygen as he could before he continued. He jumped into the crater and the other clones all jumped in and formed a circle around the outside of the crater. "This is where my dad died saving the whole town" Naruto thought to himself "I will train here!" he declared.

The clones then all jumped at Naruto but he remained still and just as they closed in on him he released a blast of light blue energy that surrounded him with a powerful aura and he then proceeded to punch and kick each of the clones as they descended upon him. "This magic" he said out loud "I don't know where it came from but I will use it!" he promised as he released the aura and collapsed to his knees from exhaustion.

* * *

Back at the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, Master Makarov had gathered all of Fairy Tail's elite S-Class Mages at the early hours of dawn in order to discuss a matter of utmost urgency. Makarov sat at the table with his advisor Hiruzen next to him. On the other end of the table were three of Fairy Tail's S-Class Wizards. Jiraiya sat on the far left side of the table, he yawned as he took his seat this caused Gildarts to smirk "You getting brittle in your old age?" he mocked.

Jiraiya rolled his eyes "Where do you get off making that kind of comment you're only five years younger than Tsunade and I" he jeered back as he chuckled to himself.

"The years haven't been as unkind to me as they have to you two" laughed Tsunade as she took her seat on the right side of the table.

"With all due respect Tsunade that magical adjustment doesn't change your true age or true appearance" interrupted Tonton who had accompanied Tsunade. Tsunade smiled brightly at the pig before she picked Tonton up and threw her out the door with incredible force.

Tsunade then faced the others "Shall we begin?" she suggested. Jiraiya and Gildarts just remained silent out of fear while Hiruzen and Makarov just rolled their eyes in sync.

"Not just yet we're still waiting for the last S-Class Wizard to arrive" stated Makarov.

As soon as he said that, the door to the room opened up and in walked the final S-Class Wizard of Fairy Tail, Kakashi Hatake "Sorry I'm late" he apologised casually as he walked in and took a seat in between Gildarts and Tsunade. Kakashi was currently the youngest S-Class Wizard in Fairy Tail but with all the older wizards in the room Kakashi seemed to appear as a child but it didn't seem to bother the uninterested wizard. Despite his youth Kakashi had white spiky hair and dark coloured eyes and fair skin. Unlike the other guild members Kakashi often donned himself in formal clothing, most commonly a black suit and white undershirt with a black tie around his neck. Kakashi also kept half his face covered with a gray scarf and black head band around his head.

"Now that we're all here I'm sure you're all wondering why you've been called here at this hour of the morning...I didn't want any other guild members to overhear this conversation you see" began Makarov.

"Would this have anything to do with the Nine Tailed Fox?" asked Tsunade.

"Yes" replied Makarov "But it's more than just the fox, the other night when it attacked something neither I nor anyone else in the guild had witnessed, occurred. The Tailed Beast merged with Naruto Namikaze" stated Makarov.

Gildarts and Jiraiya didn't look too shocked seeing as how they were witnesses to the event but Tsunade looked absolutely shocked however Kakashi maintained his calm composure. "How did that happen?" asked Tsunade. Kakashi just sighed.

"Hiruzen and I have been looking into the issue for the past few days and we've come up with very little information on the beast itself let alone the merging of it with Naruto. These Tailed Beasts are as illusive and mysterious as dragons if not more but we did manage to find something...Hiruzen if you will" stated Makarov.

Hiruzen then continued from where Makarov left off "In our archive we found an ancient text that was in an unknown language, however I was able to translate some of it with my magic" he explained, the other wizards all looked very intrigued now, even Kakashi showed a minor hint of interest "As we know there are nine of these beasts scattered around Fiore but they haven't been seen in decades, centuries for some. However these creatures are immortal and possess immeasurable power but it seems that these creatures are destined to be united with one true ally" explained Hiruzen "That is the most my magic could make of the text."

"So Naruto is basically the host for a destructive creature with an immense amount of magical power?" questioned Tsunade.

"In essence that is the current situation" said Makarov.

"How are we to save him? The creature killed Minato and Kushina and nearly wiped out our entire town!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Well there is a problem with that, we don't know what kind of effect it could have if we were to extract something of that calibre from Naruto. Further there is the issue of him being this creature's one true ally, perhaps it is the start of his destiny" suggested Hiruzen.

"With all due respect Advisor, I know it may seem out of character for me to say this but leaving something like that inside Naruto is too dangerous for him. What if it ends up killing him? We already lost Minato and Kushina because of it!" added Gildarts.

"Perhaps you are right Gildarts or perhaps we could trust what our First Master, Mavis, believed in. She believed that this creature was not born of hatred and destruction but it was twisted into something made to commit evil, perhaps Naruto is its salvation or maybe it has already been saved. Or maybe they are meant to save each other who knows, magic works in mysterious ways" added Makarov.

"I agree with the Master" stated Jiraiya "I know that the Nine Tailed Fox is responsible for many great disasters but it seems that fate has chosen Naruto to be the one that changes that, this is probably the start of a great destiny for him. Overly fitting for the child of Kushina and Minato, wouldn't you say?"

"Jiraiya how can you say that, that thing killed Minato and Kushina...Naruto's parents!" exclaimed Tsunade "I'm willing to bet that even if Naruto can use its power it would probably kill him in the end if we don't do anything about it!"

"Tsunade, you need to have a little more faith in the kid, I think we can trust him with this. Remember that look in his eyes after the funeral?" reminded Jiraiya.

Tsunade paused for a moment as she remembered back to the funeral and remembered that unmistakable determination in his eyes when he made his vow to become stronger. As she began to see Jiraiya's point, she calmed down and remained silent. "Besides it should be clear now that the fox won't kill Naruto, I mean Tsunade bet that it would and we all know that her bad luck just gets worse as she gets older!" laughed Jiraiya. Tsunade's eyes began twitching and she slowly got up and walked over to Jiraiya before she violently smashed his head into the wooden table. Makarov and Hiruzen just watched with unamused faces while Gildarts held back his laughter as Tsunade harassed the poor man.

"Jiraiya" interrupted Hiruzen and Tsunade instantly stopped what she was doing and held up Jiraiya's bruised face so that he could listen to Hiruzen "I'm glad that you are in agreement with us as without your support Naruto cannot get through this, especially since you and the Fox share a similar magic, Naruto will need your guidance to become stronger"

"What do you mean?" asked Jiraiya.

"We know that the Nine Tailed Fox has the ability to use nine types of energy based magics and we've seen that Naruto can already use the first of those nine, the manipulation of raw energy. But to get a grasp of the other nine he will need all of our guidance and support and that is why you have all been called here today" explained Hiruzen.

Kakashi suddenly got up from his chair "I think I've got enough to go on, you guys stay here and keep arguing I'm going to go and help Naruto out maybe I'll be able to judge the situation for myself first hand...is that okay Master?" he asked. Makarov simply nodded and Kakashi left the room.

"There is one other thing we need to talk about...the guild that attacked us..." stated Makarov in a serious voice and once again the other wizards payed close attention to Makarov's words.

* * *

Naruto was still at the crater training his new found ability; the sun had now risen into the sky and was beaming down on the young wizard with an intense heat that caused Naruto to begin sweating profusely. Naruto once again began channelling the light blue energy into his hand, it began to swirl wildly not really forming a shape but remaining wild and untamed. Naruto released the energy and fell onto his knees. He had been training for a few good hours and had exhausted a considerable amount of magical power "Dad" he panted "I'm getting stronger" he said out loud.

"You should try focusing the energy into a shape, like a sphere or something" shouted a voice from behind him. Naruto instantly got up and saw his guild mate Kakashi perched on top of a boulder outside the crater. Despite the heat Kakashi was still wearing his suit and was also holding onto an odd looking book, Naruto couldn't make out what the book was though.

"Kakashi!" exclaimed Naruto "How long have you been watching me?" questioned a panicked Naruto.

"Long enough to notice that new magic you were using" replied Kakashi bluntly, Naruto began to panic slightly, he wasn't sure if he'd get in trouble for using this magic since it seemed pretty dangerous "If I remember correctly your brand of magic was clones right? Not manipulating raw energy" queried Kakashi.

"Well...uh...you see...um...I learnt how to do it reading a book!" exclaimed Naruto triumphantly, he was sure that he had managed to fabricate a lie that was convincing enough.

"Naruto...we've known each other a long time and not once have you ever read a book to entertain yourself, let alone learn" said Kakashi in an unamused tone. Naruto just laughed awkwardly "So tell me" continued Kakashi "Did you get that magic from the fox?" he outright asked causing Naruto to lose his composure and stumble slightly.

"I'm sorry Kakashi. I don't know how I did it but since that night it's like I just knew how to use this magic. I mean when that magical energy went into me I could feel it filling me with strength and it's like it told me how to use this power. Although I gotta admit, I'm having a hard time controlling it...but my clones have improved a lot!" explained Naruto.

Kakashi looked at Naruto with his regular bored expression and Naruto wasn't sure whether or not he'd gotten himself into a whole lot of trouble. Kakashi soon jumped down into the crater and landed next to Naruto "If you're having a hard time with one, how are you going to master the other eight?" he asked but Naruto just looked puzzled "Never mind. How about I help show you how to control this magic properly?" he offered and Naruto instantly perked up.

"Really?" he asked "Thanks Kakashi!" he exclaimed, Kakashi offered a weak smile but it was hardly visible behind his mask.

"Okay let's get started, but first take this" ordered Kakashi as he handed Naruto a silver key with a tailed emblem at the base and a fancy pattern as the key part.

Naruto looked at the object with a puzzled expression "I don't get it Kakashi, I'm not a celestial wizard and nor do I want to be one" stated Naruto.

"Well I'm not giving it to you to use! Your father gave it to me for good luck when he taught me a few things so I thought you might appreciate the sentimentality of it" explained Kakashi. Naruto nodded and simply put the key in his pocket.

"Thanks Kakashi, I'm ready to train now!" he exclaimed.

"Okay first of all I want you to focus and gather your energy" instructed Kakashi. Naruto took a deep breath and built up his magical energy, he felt it course throughout his body "Now focus it all into your left hand" continued Kakashi. Naruto did as instructed and he instantly felt the energy flow towards the palm of his left hand "Now channel that energy, harness it and control it" a light blue glow instantly began to emit from Naruto's left hand as the light blue energy returned in its violent and uncontrollable state as it begun to surround his arm wildly "Now imagine you are holding the ball, it's an object for you to control and do with as you please. You are the master of the ball and you decide where it goes" instructed Kakashi. The energy in Naruto's hand slowly began to stabilise and it changed from a wildly rampaging pattern to a more gentle flow as it began to come under Naruto's control and transform into a sphere shape in the palm of the wizard's hand "Now open your eyes" instructed Kakashi.

Naruto's eyes instantly shot open and he saw the brightly glowing sphere in his hands, it wasn't overly huge but it certainly wasn't to be taken lightly. "Awesome!" exclaimed Naruto "Thanks Kakashi!"

"Don't thank me you did that all by yourself, I simply showed you the way" replied Kakashi. Soon the ball disappeared and Naruto's hand instantly relaxed "Next step" said Kakashi almost as instantly as the ball vanished "Using it in a fight" he said and a look of determination spread across Naruto's face.

* * *

Back in the town the meeting with the master has come to a conclusion and the S-Class Wizards had all gone their separate ways, they each had things they had to do that day. For Tsunade, she had decided to spend the day with Erza, having learnt that Erza could indeed practice magic Tsunade wasted no time in assisting the girl in adapting to the Fairy Tail guild. But it seemed that she was really depressed still and was having a hard time getting along with some of the other wizards, but then again, who could blame her after what she'd been through.

So in order to cheer the girl up, Tsunade decided she'd take her out and show her that there is a bright and positive side to life, despite what she had grown up believing. To start off Tsunade took Erza to the market place to see if anything perked Erza up so that Tsunade could buy it for her as a gift. They walked passed many shops and market stands that had a variety of tempting food, beautiful clothes and fancy jewellery but none of them seemed to interest Erza. That was until they came across the Heart Kreuz merchant. Erza instantly became lively when she saw a set of armour with the Heart Kreuz symbol across the torso part of it, and the set came with its own sword. Tsunade noticed that Erza was drawn to the armour and so she decided that, that would be the thing she bought her to lighten her mood.

"Excuse me sir" began Tsunade as she approached the Heart Kreuz merchant "How much for the armour piece and sword?" she asked politely.

"50 000 jewel ma'am" replied the merchant rather cheerfully.

"Ah Miss Tsunade you don't have to spend that much money on that! Please it's too much!" exclaimed Erza.

"Oh I'm sure we can work out a price reduction" said Tsunade suggestively as she heaved her chest against the merchant.

The merchant quickly stepped back from Tsunade who nearly fell over the stand from the abrupt loss of balance "Sorry lady, I'm not into aged women. I prefer mine to be younger thanks" he laughed and Tsunade's face instantly turned from bright to pure rage as she smashed her hand against the merchant's stand and broke it in half. The merchant instantly stopped laughing and he stared in horror as Tsunade walked through the broken stand and towered over him menacingly.

"Oh dear boyou!" exclaim Tonton who had been walking alongside them the whole time, her head bandaged up from the incident from earlier "People should be more careful what they say to her!" exclaimed the pig, unaware of her own hypocrisy.

Tsunade violently lifted up the merchant by the scruff of his neck "Listen here pal!" she whispered violently as she brought his face closer to hers "I don't appreciate your insults now work out a better price for that armour because my little friend over there is having a hard time and I think that armour will cheer her up!" barked Tsunade as she tightened her grip on the man's neck.

"30 000!" he squealed like a little girl.

Tsunade instantly dropped the man "See that wasn't so hard was it?" she stated as she placed the money on the broken counter and signalled for Erza to grab the armour. Erza casually strolled over to the armour set that had remained unscathed in the incident and took it in her arms.

"Thank you Tsunade" said Erza gratefully.

"Put it on" ushered Tsunade.

"Oh no that's okay I can put it on later" said Erza.

"Put it on!" snapped Tsunade and Erza quickly began putting the armour on. Tsunade smiled as Erza finished adorning herself in the metallic armour, she looked like a young brave knight off to slay a dragon or vicious monster "You look brilliant Erza, now let's get going I've just realised that there's something I should teach you" ordered Tsunade.

Tsunade, Erza and Tonton began to walk off but the merchant from behind them had just gotten to his feet and began to clean himself off "Crazy old bitch" he muttered to himself.

A fuming look instantly spread across Tsunade's face as she slowly turned around and stared directly at the merchant with an icy gaze she then ran at him and he began to shriek wildly as Tsunade leapt into the air above him and came crashing down shouting "Heaven Kick of Pain!" her leg narrowly crashed down near the merchant and instead hit the ground and caused it to erupt violently and launch the merchant into the sky. Around her the ground was completely obliterated "AND THAT WAS JUST A WARNING!" she exclaimed as the merchant came flying down to the ground and Tsunade caught him.

"This woman is unbelievable boyou!" exclaimed Tonton as she and Erza watched as Tsunade approached them like nothing had happened and they continued on their way. Tsunade lead Erza out to a clearing in the forest on the East Side of town, she thought it would be best to do this in private "Okay Erza" she began "I'm going to teach you a basic yet useful type of magic, you ready?" she asked, Erza nodded.

"Okay it's called re-quip, it allows the user to store weapons in a pocket dimension and call on them when they need them. It sounds complex but it's rather simple once you get the hang of it" assured Tsunade.

"Would this let me use different weapons when necessary when I'm in a fight?" asked Erza.

"Yes but it can take time for beginners to store and withdraw a different weapon so it's best to take out a weapon before battle" explained Tsunade "Now hold out your sword in front of you" instructed Tsunade and Erza instantly obeyed. She pulled out the steel sword from its sheath and held out in front of her "Now I want you to call out to your magic power and feel it at your command and then tell it to store the sword for you" instructed Tsunade. Erza concentrated fiercely and soon enough the metal sword was shrouded in a bright light before it disappeared from Erza's grasp. She opened her eyes and seemed shocked by her own success.

"Well done, now you need to call it back, do the same things except this time call for your weapon" explained Tsunade. Erza nodded and closed her eyes once more before she held out her hand and began concentrating, trying to call forth the weapon she had just stored away. A sparkle began to form within her grasp and Tsunade and Erza watched eagerly as that sparkle turned into a bright light and Erza's weapon came forth but Tsunade's eager smile quickly disappeared as a long lance appeared in Erza's grasp and it came crashing down towards Tsunade who quickly jumped out of the way before the lance skewered her.

"Oh sorry Tsunade!" exclaimed Erza as she held the lance by her side "I have no idea how I called that out!" she explained.

"Its fine I'm fine" breathed Tsunade.

"Do that again boyou" requested Tonton and Tsunade shot her a quick glare to warn her.

"I'll try and get the sword out this time" said Erza as she stored the lance away and almost instantly replaced it with the sword from earlier.

Tsunade looked at Erza in amazement "This girl...she mastered re quip that easily and not to mention she's able to store and withdraw that quickly...I'm impressed" she thought to herself "Okay Erza that's all you need to know just keep practicing and you'll be S-Class in no time!" encouraged Tsunade. The three of them then began to make their way back to town.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Erza and Tsunade had returned to the guild but Tsunade had gone up to the S-Class level of the guild hall leaving Erza downstairs with the other members, but the girl sat on her own. As Erza sat there minding her own business she felt the presence of someone approaching her and she quickly turned to see Gray standing next to her table with nothing but his underwear on, for the few days that Erza had been in the guild her and Gray had been bickering non-stop "Why do you have armour on?" he mocked "This is a guild for wizards you know!"

Erza simply turned her head at him "Well at least I'm descent enough to actually put on clothes, I'm assuming that this isn't a guild for perverts" she retorted and everyone else in the guild began laughing. Tsunade, Jiraiya and Gildarts had heard the commotion from upstairs and joined in with the laughter.

Gray turned red from embarrassment and he began to shout at Erza "Why are you even here!?" he demanded "You don't talk to anyone, you don't go on missions, you probably don't even have magic, go somewhere else!" he exclaimed and the laughter instantly stopped and a few murmurs were sounded throughout the guild.

Suddenly Gray was turned around rapidly and he came face to face with his older friend Naruto who didn't look too pleased with him, the fact that Naruto was all sweaty and dirty didn't help make him look less menacing "Gray! That's enough, stop it!" ordered Naruto and Gray gulped, Naruto had never looked that annoyed before.

"She started it!" exclaimed Gray.

"No she didn't, now apologise!" exclaimed Naruto, this was the first time people had seen him back at the guild hall in a few days and the change in his personality and determination were already apparent. Tsunade and Jiraiya smiled warmly from above as they watched the youth sort out their issues.

"I'm...I'm sorry" mumbled Gray as he faced the ground and returned to his seat near Cana. Erza also apologised for her part and she swiftly made her way out of the guild hall. The room was silent but Naruto felt something in him and he quickly walked out of the guild hall and went after Erza.

Kakashi had made his way to the upstairs where the other S-Class mages were, although he had been training with Naruto all day, his suit was in perfect condition "Were you with Naruto all day?" asked Gildarts.

"Yeah, I helped him learn a thing or two" replied Kakashi, the other S-Class mages exchanged glances "I think he'll be fine...anyway Jiraiya you're up next" stated Kakashi and Jiraiya simply nodded in agreement.

* * *

Naruto had ran out of the guild almost instantly after Erza did but she had somehow managed to get really far ahead as she headed towards the hill near the lake by the guild. Naruto could make out her scarlet hair in the distance and he ran after her. He didn't know what it was or why, but he felt connected to this girl and he wanted to make sure that she was okay.

When Naruto finally caught up to Erza she was sitting on the hillside overlooking the lake, her head was buried in her knees as she made slight sobbing sounds. Naruto slowly approached her "Hey...Erza right?" he asked as he sat near her, the girl looked up and her face was all red and her eyes were teary.

"Yeah I'm Erza, what do you want?" she demanded as she instantly began to wipe the tears out of her eyes to make it look like she wasn't crying.

"Hey I just wanted to make sure you were okay no need to get snappy!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Well thank you for your concern but I'm fine!" she said.

"I don't think anyone who cries in sadness is okay, so why don't you tell me what's troubling you and who knows you might finally make a friend that isn't a pig or Granny Tsunade!" stated Naruto.

Erza looked shocked, she wasn't sure what to say to him so she began to fumble with her fingers before she finally spoke up "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to act rude but the truth is I prefer to be alone most of the time because I feel nervous around other people" explained Erza.

"You say that but tell me this do you feel nervous around Granny Tsunade or Tonton?" asked Naruto.

Erza was shocked by his question "Uh n-no" she stumbled.

"Exactly see that's what you should feel like with the whole guild. We're all a family each and every one of us and we'd all want to be your friend if you let us, even Gray!" smiled Naruto. Erza turned away and blushed slightly as she smiled "You look a lot nicer when you smile!" stated Naruto.

"Thank you...Naruto" said Erza and Naruto just smiled and the two of them sat there in silence for a moment watching the sunset. They then got up but suddenly Naruto began to feel dizzy and the world around him began spinning "Hey are you okay?" asked Erza but Naruto couldn't respond as he lost his balance and fell to the ground.

All he could see was black until a bright light harshly filled his eyes and he suddenly woke up finding himself outside a lake with a waterfall gushing down from above it. Around him was a beautiful field that was spread out across an entire mountain range. He had no idea where he was but it was beautiful. He suddenly felt a cold chill down his spine and he quickly turned around and his face became pale as he was greeted with the sight of a large orange fox with nine tails staring down at him. Its size was overly menacing "That wasn't there a second ago!" exclaimed Naruto as he began running but the fox began laughing.

"Perhaps this was too much for our first meeting, how about I show you my true form?" the fox said, its voice was gentle and human a complete contradiction to the being he witnessed the previous night.

The fox began glowing orange and its form began to shrink down to a human size and as the glow disappeared, a girl in her young twenties appeared before Naruto. Her skin was fair and her hair was long and black and flowed down her back. She also had a fringe that was parted across her forehead and surrounded her face. Her fox ears still sat atop her head, blended in with her hair. Her most noticeable feature was the set of nine orange tails that stuck out from behind her and flowed around playfully. But these tails were instantly over looked by the fact that the woman was completely naked! This girl seemed very mischievous but hardly dangerous.

"Who are you?" asked Naruto.

"I am the Nine Tailed Fox...but you can call me Kurama."


	3. Kurama's Pants

**A/N: As promised here's the next chapter hope you guys enjoy reading it. I really enjoyed writing this chapter there's a lot of interesting parts to read that start to set the story in motion. Try using your imagination in certain parts you might enjoy it ;). Anyway enjoy! Ttyl Juicy.**

* * *

Naruto stared in complete shock at the naked fox woman before him; there was no way this woman was the true form of the Nine Tailed Fox, she seemed to be completely harmless. Naruto couldn't fathom that this was the same creature that killed his parents and nearly destroyed the entire town. Kurama then stretched her body and her tails parted revealing her naked form. Naruto instantly began screaming "Put some clothes on you weirdo!" he shouted while pointing his finger rapidly at Kurama.

"Oh? Come on Naruto don't act like such a prude, loosen up a little" teased Kurama as she continued to frolic around naked, slowly getting closer to Naruto.

"Cut it out! Seriously put some clothes on, how am I supposed to take you seriously when you're naked!?" exclaimed Naruto, Kurama began to get closer to him "Don't get closer!" he shouted but Kurama ignored him.

As Kurama got close to Naruto she began smirking "Would you prefer I looked like this?" she asked and she began glowing orange once more but this time the light expanded to an enormous size and as it disappeared the giant form of the Nine Tailed Fox appeared once more. Kurama roared directly in Naruto's face and he began to scream wildly.

"Okay, okay you can stay naked just change back!" he exclaimed and Kurama instantly reverted back to her human form.

"You're such a pervert" she laughed.

"Hey! Quit making fun of me!" exclaimed Naruto but Kurama just continued to laugh even more.

"Okay I'll stop, let me just see if I can find some clothes in here...it's been a while since I've been in my true form" said Kurama. She began to rummage around the area until she found a set of conveniently placed clothes on the lake shore. As she put them on she began to complain "Gosh pants are so bothersome, I much prefer to be naked" she scoffed.

Naruto began to laugh slightly but then he remembered, this is the same creature that ruined his life "Hey!" he exclaimed rather angrily which caused Kurama to look up at him with a surprised expression on her face "Why are we acting like we're friends!? You're the one who killed my parents! You've got some nerve bringing me here like this and then treating me like we've been buddies for so long!" he began shouting.

Kurama's cheerful expression quickly changed to one of sadness as she began to look towards the ground with an expression of regret painted across her face "My actions were not my own" she said rather cryptically "I wasn't in control of my body" she tried to explain.

"What does that even mean!?" shouted Naruto and this startled Kurama.

"It's a long story" replied Kurama.

Naruto then sat down on a nearby rock "I've got time why don't you fill me in so I can understand" he offered.

Kurama shot him a nasty glare and closed in on him "Look brat don't assume that just because I'm inside you and nice that you can make demands from me!" she warned "besides I'm not really willing to talk about that topic" she added.

"Well guess what if you're gonna be living inside me then I think you'll have to pay some type of rent. Besides if you want me to trust you, and I think you do; then you're gonna have to explain why I should" rebutted Naruto.

Kurama smirked "You're a funny kid, I think I could get used to you" she mused "Okay I'll explain it to you" she said and Naruto began to pay attention.

"_Centuries ago, there lived a wizard with an immense amount of power and skill who wondered the land. The Wizard has come to be known as the Sage of the Six Paths and he was truly an amazing person and wizard. One day he came into battle with the most powerful opponent he would ever face, The Ten Headed Dragon. _

_The beast was said to be as tall as the highest mountains with the power to consume entire oceans and continents. Each head had its own power that was to be feared by any who came across it. At the time the dragon was but a myth told by old men and parents who wanted to scare their children. But one day the dragon appeared and began to plague humankind, it was so powerful that not even other dragons could stand up against it."_

"What does any of this have to do with you!?" demanded Naruto.

"I'm telling you the story!" snapped Kurama, Naruto remained silent "As I was saying..."

"_The Ten Headed Dragon appeared and started causing chaos all across Earthland but one fateful day the Sage of the Six Paths and the Ten Headed Dragon met in an epic battle that would decide the fate of the world. While the Dragon had raw power on his side, the Sage had cunning, strategy and skill on his side and that was backed by his own incredible power. The battle raged on for weeks neither side retreating once and neither side backing down. It became clear to the Sage that if the battle were to continue the world would be destroyed no matter what the outcome so he devised a plan to defeat the creature without further destruction. He cast one final spell that turned the Dragon into a mass of magical energy, he then separated the Dragon's essence into nine separate entities that formed into their own living entities...and that is how my eight siblings and I came into existence._

_Our appearance was distinctly human but we all had rather outstanding animalistic features that set us apart from other humans. Not to mention that we each harboured an incredible amount of magical power. While we were artificially created we were blissfully happy with our father, even though we bickered like any group of siblings we were happy._

_That is until one person changed everything...the Black Mage Zeref. The Black Mage came to us and he laid upon all nine of us a vicious curse that would turn us all into true demons but our father used his magic to protect us from the curse taking full effect and so Zeref used his magic to kill our father. Being the strongest of my siblings I quickly used my magic to stunt the effect of Zeref's magic but it was only able to delay the inevitable._

_As our father lay on his death bed he told us that he delivered a final prophecy, he told us that this curse was going to change us and that we were all going to face hardship for a very long time until the day we are united with the one we are destined for...and with those words my magic wore off and the death magic of Zeref took over and our father passed on. _

_As soon as he died his magic wore off and we were forced into the forms that Zeref cursed upon us. All of us morphed and twisted into gigantic demonic creatures but that wasn't the end. Zeref's curse filled us with an undeniable anger and an absolute hatred that caused us to lash out upon mankind. We all lost contact with each other as we blindly scattered across the land mindlessly destroying everything in our path._

_I was rampant for centuries but I sometimes was able to break through the curse of Zeref and seclude myself where I could hurt no one. One day though the curse re-surfaced and I invaded the town of Magnolia but I was sealed away by the guild master of Fairy Tail at the time, Mavis. When I was sealed it was like my father's spell had taken hold of me once more, except I remained in beast form. From there I was able to rest knowing that I could harm no one...that was until you made a connection with the sphere and thus with me and I was freed._

"And from there you know the rest" concluded Kurama.

Naruto sat there with a shocked expression on his face, Kurama was only an innocent victim of something she couldn't control and her fate was so similar to his that it was scary "So" he finally spoke up "When you said that you were destined to be united with someone...was that?"

"You" interrupted Kurama and Naruto just nodded "Yes you and I have been fated to be united for a long time it's why my essence merged with you and how you were able to learn the first level of my magic so easily. It's because we have finally been united" beamed Kurama, her smile was truly genuine.

"But that's crazy!" exclaimed Naruto "There's so much that doesn't make sense like why me? Why couldn't I stop you before you killed my parents? If I'm destined to be united with you why didn't anyone know!?" exclaimed Naruto. Kurama simply shrugged "You're so not helpful!"

"Naruto I'm truly sorry for what I did to your family" said Kurama honestly "I have never liked taking life especially the lives of parents, I know what it's like to lose your parent to a monster...I don't think I'll ever forgive myself" sighed Kurama.

"Don't be sad" said Naruto and Kurama looked at him with surprise in her eyes "Even if you can't forgive yourself...I'll forgive you" he smiled.

Kurama was shocked "I wasn't expecting that" she said as she moved towards him with a hugging motion.

"Wait!" warned Naruto and Kurama stopped "Just because I forgive you doesn't mean I'm ready for all of this, I have to know that I can trust you and that you aren't lying to me" he cautioned.

"I understand" said Kurama.

"By the way if you're affected by a dark curse that turns you into a monster doesn't that mean that we could all be at risk now that you're inside me?" asked Naruto.

"Well see, I don't think that you have to worry about that anymore" stated Kurama "When your mum nearly destroyed me it caused the curse to vanish, it seems that a significant amount of harm removes the curse, especially if you are within an inch of your life" explained Kurama "Kushina was truly an amazing woman."

"Yeah" said Naruto "by the way where are your brothers and sisters?" he asked wanting to change the subject quickly.

"Oh well they would be scattered it's been centuries...I wonder if they've been united with their one yet...what's the word father used...I can't remember...anyway yeah they're probably all over the place but it would be difficult for them with Zeref's curse and all...tell you what if you find them beat the crap out of them for me" suggested Kurama.

"What!?" exclaimed Naruto "No way I can't do that, they're as strong as you right?" he questioned fearfully.

"Ha!" laughed Kurama "I am the strongest, it goes in order of tails and I have nine making me the strongest so the others should be a piece of cake for you!" stated Kurama.

"No, no, no!" exclaimed Naruto "The one with eight tails will probably kill me at my current level!" he exclaimed and Kurama just rolled her eyes "Speaking of which when can I learn more powerful magic?" he asked eagerly.

"Not yet" stated Kurama bluntly and Naruto's jaw just dropped "I'm still recovering I told you your mum nearly killed me...how about you learn another one on your own and then I'll teach you some" she offered.

"I already learnt one on my own!" he exclaimed.

The area suddenly started to shake and Naruto could hear the distinct voice of Erza calling out to him "Naruto!" she cried "Naruto wake up!"

"I guess you better get going" urged Kurama as she began pushing Naruto "It's been fun come by again sometime" she offered.

"Hey! How am I supposed to learn magic when I don't even know what it is!?" he demanded.

"You'll figure it out...bye!" she urged forcefully "Oh and by the way you were only able to come here because you made our connection with an overwhelming positive emotion...I guess you must really like that pretty girl Erza" teased Kurama.

"What are you saying...I just met her!" exclaimed Naruto

"Ha ha, ha, ha, good luck!" exclaimed Kurama and the image of Naruto suddenly faded from the area as he returned to the outside world leaving Kurama alone "He's a funny kid...this should be interesting" she said to herself.

"You left out a few details from that story Kurama" said a voice from behind her.

Kurama didn't even need to turn around to see who it was after all there was only one other person in there besides her "Well you see I didn't really think it was necessary to talk about such awful things...not just yet anyway."

"Fair enough...I wouldn't want him to be burdened by that anyway...I love him far too much it's hard enough not being with him but I'm sure you can look after him now" said the voice.

"You know Kushina you can speak with him too if you want it's not impossible thanks to my magic" offered Kurama.

"No I can't do that to him" replied Kushina "I promised him I'd always watch over him and I am but I can't burden him with my existence in here after all he just got over mine and Minato's deaths this would undo all that progress. How do you think he'd feel if he knew his mother was here with you? He'd never leave and his life wouldn't progress."

"Parents" pondered Kurama "Making sacrifices for their children even after their death...how you remind me of my Father...even though you're a woman."

"So tell me Kurama" began Kushina "How is it that I am alive in here? I still don't fully understand" asked Kushina.

"I told you...the ninth and final level of my magic is a chaotic power that I can barely control. It seems that when your magic collided within my body the magic activated on its own and preserved your essence transforming it into a state of consciousness that resides within me and by extension within Naruto...maybe it's a way of atonement for my sins that you are here...or some cruel twist of fate" explained Kurama.

"The ninth level of your magic...you barely have control over it how is Naruto going to manage?" asked Kushina.

"He won't have to worry about that for a long time" replied Kurama "The ninth level isn't something that anyone can acquire as easily as the other eight" explained Kurama. The two remained silent and all that could be heard was the flow of the creek and the cry of the cicadas in the forest.

* * *

Naruto slowly re-opened his eyes to see the rays of the sun shining brightly into his eyes. He then noticed that something was pressed against his mouth and he quickly began to panic as he saw Erza pressing her mouth against his "Waah!" he exclaimed as he was freed from her embrace "What were you doing!?" he exclaimed.

"I was trying to revive you, you blacked out so I gave you mouth to mouth" replied Erza rather casually.

"How can you be so calm about that!?" he exclaimed.

"Relax it's not like I took advantage of you" she laughed. Naruto was speechless "So what happened to you?" she asked.

"I don't know" replied Naruto, he didn't know how to explain the fact that he was communicating with the spirit of the demon wizard thing inside his body that was destroying the town only last week.

"You made the connection Naruto?" asked an inquisitive voice from above them. Naruto and Erza looked up to see Hiruzen sitting in the tree above them; he jumped down and joined them so that he would be face to face with them.

"Mr. Sarutobi!" exclaimed Naruto "How did you know?" he asked.

"I may be old but I know a lot of things" laughed Hiruzen "Don't worry Naruto, the Master and the others know, it's interesting how a flower can bloom out of such tragedy" he mused "Regardless you will need to be a lot more dedicated and rigorous than you have ever been Naruto...do you think you can manage that?"

"Of course I can!" replied Naruto confidently.

"I'm glad to hear it" smiled Hiruzen he then faced Erza "Erza promise me that you'll watch over Naruto for me, you seem to have more discipline than he does, he'll need someone like you in his life" he requested calmly.

"Of course I will" replied Erza and this caused Naruto to blush that was until Erza grabbed his head and nuzzled it against her chest, which would have been fine had she not been wearing armour that could potentially give Naruto brain damage from the impact.

"Good" said Hiruzen "Now go take a quest or something and enjoy yourselves as members of Fairy Tail" he urged. Naruto and Erza nodded before they both ran off towards the guild hall. Hiruzen watched them leave and smiled to himself as he continued to look on.

* * *

Naruto and Erza made their way back to the guild hall in high spirits and eager to go on a quest, after all they both could use some money. When they returned they found that a few of the members who were there earlier had cleared out, Gray was still there and the S-Class Mages were all still relaxing on their exclusive level.

As Naruto and Erza made their way over to the request board their path was blocked by Gray who looked like he had something he wanted to say "Gray if you're going to start a fight with her again I think you should reconsider" said Naruto before anyone else spoke.

"No I just wanted to apologise, I know she's new and we should welcome her but I acted like a stupid kid so...I'm sorry" he said.

"It's okay" replied Erza casually and Gray looked satisfied with her response.

"We're going on a quest want to come along?" offered Naruto and Gray nodded eagerly.

"How sweet" said a voice from above them and they looked up to see Tsunade looking down at them, although her breasts covered a lot of her face. She then jumped down towards them, not bothering to take the stairs "Here I have the perfect quest for you guys, it requires three standard rank wizards so you guys should be able to handle it" said Tsunade as she pulled a request off the request board.

"Now this is a night job so you're going to have to be extra careful" she warned as she handed them the request notice, it read as:

_Help needed at Ichiraku Family Restaurant:  
Three mysterious hooligans have been appearing around the restaurant each night and have been stealing stock and scaring off customers. I would like to request help from some wizards to apprehend the criminals and help me and my restaurant._

_From what we have seen the three hooligans are all men who wear all black jumpsuits and have rather...outstanding butts. _

_If successful the reward will be 30,000 jewel plus a free meal of your choice for those who succeed in taking down the hooligans. _

_Report to Teuchi Ichiraku if interested._

"Interested?" asked Tsunade as she flaunted the request in front of them.

"Yeah sure we'll get 10, 000 jewel each and a free meal at a restaurant!" exclaimed Naruto "I'm in!" he said excitedly.

"Yeah sure I'll go along with you guys, I could use some extra money and a descent meal would be nice for a change" said Gray.

"Great" beamed Tsunade "Erza?" she asked as she turned to her young friend.

"Oh well sure why not" she said.

"Perfect!" exclaimed Tsunade as she handed Naruto the request "Now go on down to Ichiraku and let him know that you guys will help him out. Naruto you should know where it is" she said as she herded them out of the guild hall.

* * *

The three of them made their way down to the district where Ichiraku's restaurant was located. It was a small but rather well done restaurant, it was one of the most popular food places in the town but it was hard to believe that seeing as how there were so few people in the restaurant at the moment.

The three of them went inside and noticed how well presented the restaurant was and how good the food of the current customers looked. "Wow!" exclaimed Gray "This place is really nice" he mused.

"Yeah I hear they make the best ramen ever...I can't wait to finish the quest so that I can get some!" exclaimed Naruto, his stomach grumbling as he did so.

"I think I'll just get a sundae or a frozen yoghurt" stated Gray.

"Aw come on man get some actual food!" exclaimed Naruto but Gray refused "What about you Erza what are you looking to get after we finish the quest?" asked Naruto.

But Erza didn't respond she was too mesmerised by the dessert display, in particular she was entranced by the strawberry cheesecake that was rotating on its display, revealing every inch of the beautifully made masterpiece "What is this beautiful thing?" she asked as she placed her hand against the display window.

"That's strawberry cheesecake" answered Gray.

A look of determination appeared in Erza's eyes as she clenched her fist and swung it into the air "Okay! Let's get this quest started and save poor Mr. Ichiraku!" she exclaimed, no one had ever seen her this excited or enthusiastic since they met her.

Suddenly a man came out from the back end of the restaurant he was a tall and aged man but he had a look about him that made him seem very kind and welcoming "Welcome kids, would you three like a table?" he asked warmly.

"Not just yet!" exclaimed Naruto and the man looked confused "We're wizards from Fairy Tail and we're here in response to your request, can we see Mr. Ichiraku please." He explained.

"Oh good you finally came" he sighed "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Teuchi Ichiraku, pleased to meet you" introduced Mr. Ichiraku.

"Hey there I'm Naruto!" he introduced rather happily.

"I'm Gray Fullbuster, nice to meet you."

"Erza Scarlet at your service."

"My, you kids sure are lively, you sure you're up to this it could be dangerous" warned Mr. Ichiraku.

"None will get in our way, not when there is a restaurant serving strawberry cheesecake at stake!" exclaimed Erza, Naruto and Gray exchanged worried glances.

"Haha!" laughed Mr. Ichiraku cheerfully "Very well then follow me" he said as he lead the three of them to the back area of the restaurant "These thieves are a sneaky bunch they come in here and take food as they please, we can't seem to catch them so that's why I called in some wizards" explained Mr. Ichiraku.

"How would you like us to go about this?" asked Erza as she took the lead of the mission.

"Well since you guys are small they won't be expecting you and you'll be able to hide yourselves easier. I'll close the restaurant early and you guys hide yourselves around the place and when they come in you take them down" explained Mr. Ichiraku.

"Seems simple enough" stated Erza.

A little while after their meeting with Mr. Ichiraku, he closed up the restaurant and headed out leaving Naruto, Gray and Erza alone inside the restaurant. Naruto had placed himself under the counter in the entrance area while Gray had hidden himself on top of some shelves and Erza guarded the dessert fridge. An hour had passed and there was still no sign of any action. "Maybe they're not coming tonight" whispered Gray.

"Do you think they found out that wizards had been hired to catch them and decided to leave town?" suggested Naruto.

"No way! We were the only ones that knew about it other than Mr. Ichiraku and Tsunade but I doubt they'd tell anyone about it" whispered Erza. As soon as the words escaped Erza's lips a distinct sound of rubbing could be heard from the middle of the restaurant. It sounded like two rubber gloves rubbing against each other. The three wizards looked over to where the noise came from and saw a rather odd shadow form in the middle, it was hard to see because the lights were out but the street light shining in made it somewhat visible.

The shadow expanded slightly to form a perfect circle and suddenly out of the shadow appeared three men shouting "Jiggle Butt-portation!" They looked like a rather odd trio. One of them was slightly skinnier than the others and had long brown hair as well as a set of buck teeth. The other appeared to be slightly older than the other two and had insanely thick eyebrows. The final one was rather chubby and had short grey hair. In fact the only thing that these three guys had in common, appearance wise, was their overly large and jiggle butts.

"Alright boss we made it in again!" exclaimed the one on the left.

"Yeah let's get some food I'm starving!" added the one on the right.

"Only someone truly evil steals from a family restaurant" said the middle one, who was assumedly the leader.

"WE ARE THE JIGGLE BUTT GANG!" they exclaimed in unison they then started to rummage around the restaurant looking for anything that they felt like stealing.

"That's them!" exclaimed Naruto.

"What should we do?" asked Gray.

"Get them!" exclaimed Naruto and the others nodded "Okay on my count 3...2...1...Go!" he exclaimed and the three of them jumped out of their hiding places and attacked the three robbers.

"Who's there?" asked one of the Jiggle Butt Thieves but he was met with an icy fist to his face as Gray came down on him hard.

"Wizards!" exclaimed the other lackey "Boss! They've found us! We need to fight our way out of here!" he exclaimed but he quickly began running as Erza came at him with her sword. He ran behind the counter but Erza jumped over it and swung her sword down nearly striking him. He ran passed her and towards the dessert display and Erza followed viciously.

"How are we supposed to fight children? They're just kids? Evil people don't hurt kids!" exclaimed the leader but just as he was about to run he was surrounded by three Naruto's each of them blocking his escape path.

"You're not going anywhere!" exclaimed Naruto and his clones in unison, the effect caused the Jiggle Butt Gang leader to begin shivering as he screamed out of fear.

The lackey whom Gray had initiated combat with got up from the blow and attempted to grab Gray, but the ice wizard projected an ice shield in front of himself causing the lackey to smash face first into the wall of ice, shattering his two front teeth and bruising his face. Gray decided that this wasn't enough to finish him off and so he jumped on top of the ice wall and shouted "Ice Make Fist!" and brought a large fist down upon the lackey, impaling him directly on the spine.

Meanwhile Erza had cornered her opponent in the corner between the wall and the dessert bar. It seemed that there was nowhere for him to escape and so in a moment of desperation he took the strawberry cheesecake off the display and threw it at Erza, hitting her square in the face. The icing was smeared all over her face and there was a strawberry lodged in her nose but these only added to the menacing look that she was giving the lackey who began trembling at the sight of Erza's rage filled face.

"How dare you desecrate the cake" she stammered as she swapped out her sword for her lance that she had acquired earlier and began to charge at the lackey who began screaming in fear as Erza slammed the lance across his face, knocking him out cold. She then wiped the icing and strawberries off of her face. She then turned to where Naruto was and shouted "Hey Naruto I'm done here."

"Yeah me too!" replied Gray.

Having seen that his comrades had finished their jobs, Naruto saw it was only fitting for him to finish off the last member of the Jiggle Butt Gang. He and his two clones ran in towards the leader and kicked him into the air. Then Naruto jumped upward and summoned the ball of energy that he had mastered while training with Kakashi. As the leader of the Jiggle Butt Gang fell to the ground, Naruto met him halfway and planted the ball of energy directly in his face causing him to scream in pain as the energy dissipated across his face, knocking him out cold.

The group hauled the three unconscious thieves into the centre of the restaurant where they proceeded to tie up the Jiggle Butt Gang with a thick rope that they found lying in the nearby storage cupboard. After they ensured that the three thieves were securely restrained they switched on the lights to signal to Mr. Ichiraku, who was looking onward from a nearby refuge, that they had succeeded in their mission. The three of them took a seat on a nearby table and waited patiently. By the time Mr. Ichiraku came back into the restaurant the Jiggle Butt Gang had woken from their unconsciousness to find that they were beaten, burnt, bruised, and bound.

"Did we lose boss?" grumbled one of them as he struggled in his bindings.

"I think so" groaned the leader as tried to wriggle free and comfort the burning on his face. The three of them continued to struggle but immediately stopped when a shadow slowly began to loom over them and a displeased Mr. Ichiraku stared down at them. The Jiggle Butt Gang began to scream.

"So these are the culprits?" asked Mr. Ichiraku as he turned his attention towards Naruto, Gray and Erza.

"Yes sir we caught them trying to sneak in and steal food" replied Gray.

"But we taught them a lesson" added Naruto, smashing his fist into his palm in as a gesture as he said so.

Mr. Ichiraku smiled at them "Thank you" he beamed through his smile. The three of them cheered at the success of their mission.

* * *

The authorities in Magnolia came to the restaurant soon after that and took away the thieves who called themselves the Jiggle Butt Gang. After they were taken away, Mr. Ichiraku reopened his restaurant and also gave the wizards their reward of 30,000 jewel which they split evenly amongst themselves, so 10,000 each. They were also treated with the promise of a meal of their choice from Ichiraku's famous menu. Naturally, Naruto got the most expensive and luxurious bowl of ramen that they had to offer while Gray simply got a large ice-cream sundae. But the one who got the most outrageous reward was Erza.

It was no surprise to anyone when she requested strawberry cheesecake from Mr. Ichiraku (thankfully he had a backup cake to replace the one that was destroyed earlier) but Erza didn't simply stop at one large slice of cake; she continued to eat more until she had consumed the entire cake. Everyone, Mr. Ichiraku included, just stared at her in shock as she swallowed that last remnants of the cake, she didn't even look remotely full but her eyes were full of passion, never before had she consumed something so incredibly delicious; and so she vowed to return to Ichiraku's Family Restaurant and buy a never ending supply so that she could never run out. Everyone laughed...but she was deadly serious.

It wasn't long after that everyone headed home, each of them was located in a different part of town and so they parted ways from the restaurant and made their own way home. Naruto walked alone through the central market district of Magnolia, although it was late at night there were still plenty of people out and about.

He continued to walk through the streets when suddenly a horse and carriage shot right past him almost knocking him out. The horse was on a rampage and it was clear that there was no one on the carriage trying to control it, Naruto watched as it continued to run down the street when suddenly he heard the voice of a woman scream "SOMEONE HELP, THERE'S A CHILD TRAPPED INSIDE THE CARRIAGE!"

As soon as he heard these words, Naruto reacted instantly and began to run after the carriage at the highest speed he could. The ramen from earlier seemed to have given him super willpower. As he ran after the carriage he began to see it get further away so he summoned four clones of himself and commanded them to jump toward the carriage and try to slow it down. The clones then ran ahead.

"How am I supposed to catch up to that?" he thought out loud, he was beginning to sweat and his legs were starting to ache "I got it!" he exclaimed suddenly "Kurama!" he began to scream inside his head but all he heard was a distant snoring "KURAMA!" he exclaimed inside his head even louder this time. Suddenly a spiritual form of Kurama appeared right next to him, but it seemed like he was the only one who could see her.

"What do you want? I was sleeping, I'm very tired" she complained.

"I need help there's a kid stuck in that carriage and the horse is out of control" explained Naruto.

"You woke me up for this?" she hissed, she clearly didn't like it when her sleep was disrupted.

"Well surely there's a way for you to help me get faster so I can catch up, you're an all powerful being aren't you?" he asked.

"Well I wouldn't say I'm all powerful" laughed Kurama "but pretty darn close...okay here's something you can try...activate the one tailed cloak mode" she suggested.

"The what?" asked Naruto as he continued running; he could see that his clones weren't having much luck catching up to the carriage.

"Don't you remember? You did it once before" stated Kurama, at some point she had removed her clothes.

"Hey!" exclaimed Naruto and Kurama looked at him with a confused expression "Put some clothes back on!" he demanded.

"There isn't time!" exclaimed Kurama "Now the one tailed cloak is when my magic pours into your magic and you gain more of my strength and it looks like I'm surrounding you, the one tailed mode is the first step you'll gain more tails as you develop, it'll kill you if you use all nine at this point" she explained.

"How do I activate it?" asked Naruto.

"Well let's see...I don't know" stated Kurama bluntly.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Naruto.

"I've never done this before I don't know how it all works. Last time you were consumed by anger maybe an overpowering emotion triggers it...just try focusing all your emotion on willpower and I'll pour my magic into you" instructed Kurama before she faded away.

"Hey! Wait!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Just do it" said Kurama's voice from inside his head. Naruto rolled his eyes and then began to focus on how much he wanted to catch up to the carriage and how much he wanted to save the child who was stuck inside it. As he continued to focus his willpower he felt a rising sensation from within him as an orange aura began to surround him and the cloak of a fox surrounded him with one tail protruding out the end. All of a sudden Naruto felt like his speed had increased and he jumped forward and began to charge even faster after the carriage, he even began to jump from wall to wall of the adjacent buildings in order to catch up to it and land on top of the carriage. As he closed in on the rampaging carriage he jumped off one of the buildings and landed directly on top of the carriage with a large thud, he could hear the gasp of the child inside as he landed. Thankfully he landed when he did because the horse had reached the edge of town and was now heading through the outskirts of town.

Kurama once again appeared alongside Naruto "Wow it actually worked" she examined in amazement, she then looked at the scenery they were running through "The world sure is beautiful" she mused.

"Yeah it's great now put some pants on" growled Naruto; the feral side of his magic was starting to come out.

"Um hello is someone out there?!" screamed the voice of a girl from inside the carriage.

"Don't worry I'm a Fairy Tail wizard and I'll get you out of here safely, just sit tight and try to stay calm!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Might want to lose the cloak before the kid sees you and has nightmares" suggested Kurama.

"Oh yeah...how do I do that?" he asked.

Kurama just rolled her eyes and suddenly the cloak disappeared "It's very simple, as soon as I disconnect my magic from yours the cloak will stop, when you get stronger you'll be able to tap into it on your own but for now I'm in charge" she giggled.

"Cool" stated Naruto he then jumped down towards the seat where the horse's reigns were and he shrouded his hand in some raw energy.

"What are you doing?" asked Kurama.

Naruto just looked at her and grinned before he swiped his hands through the reigns and cut them loose, letting the horse run freely and away from the carriage.

"You idiot!" exclaimed Kurama as the carriage began to skid along the ground violently "There's a cliff over there and not enough time for the carriage to slow down!"

Naruto looked ahead and saw that there was in fact a cliff up ahead "Oh shit!" stated Naruto. He had to act quickly and so he summoned five or so clones and ordered them to jump in front of the carriage and start pushing it to slow it down, he then joined them and began to add his strength to the carriage in order to stop it. As they skidded along the dirt path towards the cliff, the group of Naruto's slowly managed to bring the cart to a stop just before it reached the edge of the cliff. The child was saved.

"Phew!" sighed Naruto as he and his clones congratulated each other on a job well done before they disappeared.

"Well done" said Kurama as she floated towards him "Now that you've done that I'm gonna go back to sleep" yawned Kurama as she disappeared from Naruto's sight. Naruto simply smiled to himself as he walked around to the side of the carriage and opened the door to check on the kid who was inside. When he opened the door he saw a young girl who was probably a little younger than him, she had medium length blonde hair and big brown eyes and she was wearing rather fancy clothing, although she was just in a near death experience the girl didn't seem too shook up.

"Hey are you okay?" Naruto asked as he extended his hand towards the girl, she slowly extended her hand outwards and took hold of Naruto's hand as he pulled her out of the carriage.

"Yes I'm okay...thank you" she said gratefully.

Naruto just smiled at her "Well hey I'm Naruto what's your name?" he asked the girl.

"Um...my name's Lucy" she said shyly.

"Well Lucy it's nice to meet you...how exactly did you get stuck in that carriage?" he asked.

"Um well I was in town with my family and I sort of just jumped into the carriage and then this happened" she explained.

"Were you running away from your family?" Naruto asked oddly but the girl didn't answer "It's okay you don't have to tell me, I understand" smiled Naruto and Lucy responded with a grateful grin.

"So are you really a Fairy Tail wizard?" asked Lucy.

"I sure am" replied Naruto as he lifted up the bottom of his shirt to reveal the orange Fairy Tail guild mark stamped across his abdomen.

Lucy's eyes lit up as she saw the mark of the uprising wizard's guild "Wow! That's so amazing!" she exclaimed with delight.

"Oh you want to be in a wizard's guild?" asked Naruto.

"Um yeah sort of...but I can't right now" she said sadly.

Naruto saw that the girl had a passion in her for wizardry and he thought of an idea "Hey why don't you take this?" Naruto suggested as he fumbled around in his pockets until he pulled out the silver gate key that Kakashi had given him earlier that week.

"What's that?" asked Lucy with a light in her eyes as she looked at the key.

"This is a gate key; it's a basic type of magic that lets the wielder summon a spirit to help them. This is a silver one but I hear there are twelve super rare gold ones out there" explained Naruto as he took the key and handed it to Lucy "My friend gave it to me as a memento but I want you to have it, maybe when you learn how to use it you'll come back and join our guild" suggested Naruto with a grin.

Lucy took a hold of the key and looked at it with a face full of happiness "Thank you Naruto...but I can't take this it was a gift for you, if anything I should be giving you something for saving me" she stated.

"It's fine I didn't really want it anyway but how about this...you promise me that you'll follow your dream and if that leads you back here then that'll be good enough for me" he stated as he gave her a thumbs up causing her to blush slightly.

"Miss Lucy!" cried a group of voices in the distance.

"I guess your family has come to get you...guess I'll be on my way, Jiraiya might be worried" said Naruto as he bid Lucy farewell and made his way back to town. Lucy looked onward in awe as Naruto disappeared from sight; she then looked into the town and saw the Fairy Tail building standing tall and proudly in the distance "My dream" she thought to herself before she was surrounded by a bunch of wailing servants who rejoiced over her safety and ushered her to come with them.

* * *

In the distance stood Jiraiya and Master Makarov, both of whom who had been observing Naruto's actions while rescuing Lucy from the carriage "So it's true then...Naruto and the Nine Tails have bonded just like Kakashi said" mused Jiraiya.

"Yes and he's gained that much power in just a few short days...we have to act now to make sure that it's stable" stated Makarov.

"Don't worry Master I'll take care of it...I just hope he can forgive me afterwards" stated Jiraiya.

"I'm sure he will...but if you like I could get Tsunade or Gildarts to take care of it" offered Makarov.

"No I will be the one to do it...tomorrow I will take Naruto out to Minato's Crater and there I shall test him to make sure that he's in control and in no danger" replied Jiraiya. Makarov just furrowed his brow and nodded as they watched Naruto head back to his home.

* * *

The next day Naruto woke up in the hours of mid morning and proceeded to go about his usual morning routine before he got ready and left the house to go find a mission on the request board at the guild hall. Just as he was about to leave the house he felt a hand grab his shoulder "Hey kid what are you doing today?" asked Jiraiya.

"Oh I was just going to go on a quest or something...maybe train a bit later" replied Naruto casually.

"Why don't you come for a walk with me...there's some things we should talk about" smiled Jiraiya.

Naruto thought that this was probably going to be about his parents or Kurama so he decided it would be best to get it over with now "Yeah sure" replied Naruto. The two of them then made their way out of the house and Jiraiya lead Naruto through the town, on the way he didn't talk about Kurama or his parents just casual stuff that would be involved in any normal conversation...maybe Naruto was wrong.

They soon made their way to the edge of the town but Jiraiya continued to walk out of the town and through the forest, Naruto recognised the route they were taking; it was the path he took to the crater where he did his training with Kakashi the other day. As they got closer to the crater their conversation began to be filled with blocks of silence until they reached the large crater in the earth where Minato had died "So I heard that you've been training here...any particular reason?" questioned Jiraiya.

"I train here because I want my dad to see me and see that I'm trying hard to become stronger...and to remind me to keep going on no matter how hard it could get" replied Naruto. Jiraiya didn't say anything...there was nothing he could say really.

"So Naruto you're probably wondering the reason I brought you out here...it's about the Nine Tailed Fox" began Jiraiya.

"Her name's Kurama" replied Naruto almost instantly; Jiraiya was shocked to hear that Naruto was already that familiar with the creature.

"If you've spoken with her then I think you should know the story about Zeref's curse and how it affects her and could potentially affect you" stated Jiraiya.

"Oh I already know she told me all about her past" stated Naruto and Jiraiya's jaw instantly dropped "She said that there's nothing to worry about anymore...mum practically destroyed the curse when she nearly destroyed her" explained Naruto.

"Regardless of that...we need to make sure that she isn't lying or that the curse isn't going to come back...for your sake as well as the entire town's" explained Jiraiya.

"What do you mean make sure?" asked Naruto but he was suddenly met with Jiraiya's foot to his face as he was kicked into the crater.

"I'm sorry Naruto" called Jiraiya as Naruto got up off of the ground "but in order to make sure that you're in control we need to ensure that no violence, anger or life threatening situation results in a demonic outburst" explained Jiraiya.

"Threats to my life?" asked Naruto but he quickly jumped out of the way as Jiraiya charged at him with a ball of green light. Naruto narrowly dodged the attack but the force of impact on the ground caused him to get knocked away by a shockwave.

"What's going!?" demanded Kurama as she appeared alongside Naruto.

"Jiraiya is testing me to make sure that the curse of Zeref still doesn't exist and to make sure that I'm in control" explained Naruto briefly.

"What they don't trust me?!" exclaimed Kurama with shock and hurt.

"The last time they saw you, you tried to kill them!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Ancient history" scoffed Kurama and Naruto rolled his eyes. Jiraiya then charged at Naruto once more with a ball of green energy "That magic" stated Kurama as she looked at the green energy in Jiraiya's palm "It's a level of my magic!" she exclaimed as Jiraiya jumped above Naruto "MOVE!" exclaimed Kurama but it was too late and Jiraiya slammed down with unrelenting force as he hit Naruto with his attack causing a blast of green light to fill the area.

Naruto lay on the ground grumbling slowly getting to his feet "How much more of this do I have to do?" thought Jiraiya to himself "If it was going to break out it would have happened by now."

"Naruto that energy is one of the more powerful levels of my magic" explained Kurama as she watched Naruto get to his feet "It's called natural energy it channels the force of nature into attacks but it can also distort and balance certain things" she explained.

"Great so I'll get to use it one day" cheered Naruto.

"This is no time for you to be celebrating, you're getting beaten to a pulp!" exclaimed Kurama.

"It's okay...if they can accept you after this and let me keep training with you then it's worth it" assured Naruto.

Kurama just smiled "In that case I'll help you out. Since you're going through this why don't you give him a taste of what your power can do...without making him think that you're being controlled by some demon of course" suggested Kurama.

Jiraiya once again began to fuel his hand with green energy; he was only going to use the one attack as he didn't want to kill Naruto. As he brought the attack down Naruto quickly met it with a ball of his own raw energy attack "What!?" exclaimed Jiraiya.

"What?" asked Naruto "Just because you have to test me doesn't mean I can't fight back without being controlled by Zeref does it?" sneered Naruto. Jiraiya grinned to himself as he disengaged the attack and jumped back.

"Well it looks like you could very well be in control...maybe we shouldn't continue" suggested Jiraiya sarcastically.

"What? You scared?" mocked Naruto "Come on old man I'll show you that no stupid dead curse is gonna control me!" exclaimed Naruto as he charged up his energy attack.

Jiraiya chuckled as he surrounded himself in a green aura "Okay kid you asked for this" he warned as he charged at Naruto but just as he reached Naruto he disappeared from sight and appeared behind him kicking him across the crater.

"How'd he do that!?" exclaimed Naruto as he soared through the air.

"That is but a small fragment of what that power can do for the caster" explained Kurama as Naruto hit the ground with a large thud "Maybe you should try not getting hit" she suggested mockingly.

"Shut up!" exclaimed Naruto as he got off the ground and dusted himself off "Is that all you got old man?" teased Naruto as Jiraiya began to charge towards him once more. This time Naruto felt something inside him and as Jiraiya came down upon him Naruto released a burst of bright yellow light as opposed to light blue light that caused Jiraiya to be knocked back forcefully. The light glow then bathed Naruto.

"That's...Minato's magic!" exclaimed Jiraiya as he got to his feet.

"What's going on?" wondered Naruto as he watched the yellow energy surround him.

"That's the second level of the magic...kinetic energy, it adds force to potential energy but it can also remove that potential when used correctly...like your father did" explained Kurama.

"How did I get it already?" asked Naruto.

"Well I helped out by letting some magic flow through you but your own willpower and determination probably gave you access to it...now you just need to learn how to use it" explained Kurama.

"Well done Naruto I'm impressed" called Jiraiya "tapping into more of your new power in this short amount of time is remarkable...I could end the trial here but I think you wouldn't be satisfied with that."

"Let's go!" exclaimed Naruto as he slammed his hands on the ground and caused a yellow glow to flow through it until the ground beneath Jiraiya erupted and forcefully knocked him into the air. The S-Class wizard simply turned himself around mid-air and landed back on the ground casually.

"Dammit" breathed Naruto "This new magic is so strong it used up almost all of my remaining magic power."

"Here try this" suggested Kurama and Naruto soon felt a familiar sensation spread throughout his body "You want to win right?" asked Kurama and Naruto simply nodded as the orange aura surrounded him but this time he had gained a second tail, no doubt due to the new level he acquired.

"Interesting" stated Jiraiya as he watched Naruto take his form "Come on Naruto show me what you got" taunted Jiraiya. Naruto instantly began charging at him but quickly used a deceiving tactic of running all around Jiraiya in an attempt to confuse him...but Jiraiya didn't look fazed in the slightest. Suddenly Naruto came in for an attack directly behind Jiraiya but the wizard simply grabbed Naruto by the head stopping him mid attack "You're good Naruto...you'll be a fine S-Class wizard someday."

Naruto smiled at this remark, even behind the fox aura it was clear that he was still the same Naruto "But today's not that day" finished Jiraiya and the smile on Naruto's face quickly vanished as Jiraiya's green aura returned but this time there was a violent wind around the area and the ground began to tremble "Nature's Wrath!" shouted Jiraiya as he placed his palm directly on Naruto's forehead and caused a channel of green energy to burst through him, knocking him violently to the ground and breaking him out of two tailed form.

"I told you don't get hit by it...it's fucking powerful!" scolded Kurama as Naruto lay on the ground in a slightly vegetated state "You're probably going to be seeing weird shit for a while...side effects of that magic" warned Kurama but her words didn't seem to get through to Naruto who was slowly coming back to reality.

"Well done Naruto" said a deep voice from above them as Master Makarov floated down into the crater "and thank you Jiraiya" he added.

"Not a problem...Naruto took it much better than I thought he would" stated Jiraiya.

"Yes Naruto you did extremely well...you pass and I'm sure you are going to be a shining star in our guild's future" stated Makarov proudly, Naruto barely registered what Makarov was saying but something within him knew it was good news and he smiled goofily as he lay on the ground, exhausted from his battle.

* * *

Four years had now passed since that time and the Fairy Tail of X780 had become a much larger and more vibrant place. The guild was filled with a bunch of new faces all of whom brought a distinct aspect to the guild that made it a great place to be.

Natsu Dragneel was among these new faces, he was a young boy with vibrant pink spiky hair who claimed to be raised by a Fire Dragon known as Igneel. This fits well with the fact that his particular brand of magic was the practice of Fire Dragon Slaying magic, an ancient and lost art that taught humans how to fight dragons...but there were none of those around to fight anymore. Natsu often got into fights with a lot of the other guild members, particularly Gray, but Erza often stepped in and knocked some sense into both of them rather forcefully. Erza had grown a lot since joining the guild and was now considered an elite member, though not quite S-Class yet.

Natsu had also spent some time raising and hatching an egg which he initially thought was a Dragon's egg but it turned out to be a different type of egg. The egg hatched a few years ago and out of it came a blue cat with wings that brought a vibrant aura of happiness to the guild and thus Natsu named the cat Happy. Happy was a rather mischievous kitty that was always by Natsu's side, although they had their fair share of arguments. Tonton was rather confused by Happy at first but soon came to accept him.

Also among the new faces to the guild were the Strauss siblings, Mirajane, Elfman and Lisanna. All three of them had joined the guild after being orphaned and all three of them practiced a type of Take Over magic; magic that allows the user to take over the body and power of other things and use it to fight. The three of them also had white hair, signifying them as siblings.

Mirajane was the oldest of the Strauss siblings but acted rather immature and had a distinctly sadistic personality. She often got into fights with Erza that no one else wanted to get involved in for fear of their own lives. Mirajane wore a gothic clothing style and practiced the most powerful form of Take Over among her siblings, Demonic Take Over, in fact Mirajane had been titled 'The Demon' for her infamous magic.

Her younger brother and middle child of the siblings was Elfman, he was notably shy and considerably weaker than Mirajane but he had a rather profound talent for cooking, something that was appreciated by a lot of the members in the guild. He had helped Natsu hatch Happy's egg by keeping it warm for him from time to time. Elfman practiced Beast Take Over but was only able to perform it on his arm and not a full body take over as of yet.

The youngest sibling was named Lisanna, like Elfman she was a kind person but she had a lot more confidence than he did. She got along well with all the members of the guild but had a rather special relationship with Natsu and she played a rather large role in helping Natsu hatch Happy, even going so far as to build a small hut for them to keep the egg safe and warm. Lisanna practiced the most basic type of take over amongst her siblings, animal take over, but she wasn't that good with travelling long distances in it as of yet.

Another member who wasn't really too new to the guild but rose in rank rather quickly was Makarov's grandson Laxus. He was a lot older than Naruto and Erza and had become rather arrogant in his teenage years, but this arrogance wasn't unsupported as Laxus had soared through the ranks of the guild and became S-Class at a young age by mastering his Lightning magic to an incredibly powerful extent.

And so it was that the guild became a much more lively place, moving on from the darkness that plagued it years ago. Naruto, who was now sixteen, had grown to become a much stronger wizard and Kurama had grown rather fond of the guild, although she couldn't communicate with anyone, she knew everything about them. Naruto got along well with most of the members and a lot of the younger ones looked up to him for guidance, though he often would beat up Natsu when challenged by him. Naruto watched as Erza and Mirajane had it out once more "Sure is lively today" he said to Kurama who was standing near him.

"I'm so glad no one else can see me, I don't have to wear pants at all" stated Kurama blandly.

"What does that have to do with anything!?" exclaimed Naruto but Kurama just rolled her eyes at him. As the guild members continued to carry on with their activities they were all silenced as the Master and Hiruzen stood atop the S-Class platform, accompanying them were Gildarts, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi and Laxus all of whom were looking down at the members.

Naruto and Kurama looked up to see the sight and all the other members slowly began to drop their conversations and pay attention to the Master "The annual event of the year has come once again and it's time for us to see who is worthy of the title S-Class!" began Makarov. As soon as he said those words there were a series of excited and nervous murmurs throughout the guild.

"This year only four have been nominated to participate in the trial...these four wizards have proven their strength, skill and knowledge over the past few years but above all they are all embodiments of what it means to be in Fairy Tail...First is...Erza Scarlet!" Erza didn't show any sign of emotion as her name was called out only a look of cold hard determination was on her face.

"The second one is...Mirajane Strauss!" announced Makarov.

"Ha! Good luck winning now Erza!" sneered Mirajane.

"Our third one is...Cana Alberona!" Cana didn't say anything she just nodded and continued to look confident, despite her opponents.

"And finally our last contender is...Naruto Namikaze!"

"Finally!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Yes!" exclaimed Kurama "Let's show them all just how far we've come in these past four years!"

"You have one week to train and hone your skills before we depart for Tenrou Island...good luck to all of you!" finished Makarov. It was time for some intense training to begin and with only one week to prepare there was no time for fun or slacking off.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Two figures walked through a shady forest in the Southern part of Fiore, one of them was significantly older and taller than the other but his face was covered by a mask and he carried a set of staves on his back.

The other was much younger than him but her face was visible as was her long blue hair. In her arms was a cat that looked similar to Happy but was a white colour.

"Come Wendy we must find a guild for us to join, it's getting dangerous being out here alone...especially for you" said the older male person.

"I'm sorry Jel...I mean Mystogan if I hadn't complained and whined so much back then, then maybe you wouldn't have to worry as much" sighed Wendy.

"Come on Wendy have more confidence in yourself...besides what kind of person would leave a young girl alone...despicable" complained the cat in Wendy's arms.

"Carla don't be mean Mystogan has looked after us and we should be thankful to him" lectured Wendy.

"It's okay Wendy...I have enjoyed having the company of both of you with me...it makes my journey that much more brighter" said Mystogan.

"What is your journey Mystogan? You've never told me" asked Wendy.

Mystogan hesitated for a moment but Carla quickly jumped in "Wendy...it's none of your concern!"

"Wait Carla knows and not me? Why!?" exclaimed Wendy but everyone remained silent as they continued to walk through the thick marsh of the forest.


	4. S-Class Trial!

**A/N: Hey guys so here's the next chapter the S-Class Trial of X780! This is a much longer chapter than the others but I really didn't want to split it over two chapters so enjoy the extra reading. Also I will be having exams in two weeks so the chapters might be a little delayed but I will try to get them done and keep my routine post per week in check. Anyway hope you enjoy ttyl Juicy.**

* * *

The oceans surrounding the continent of Fiore were vast and widespread and filled with an array of luminous and incredible sights to see. In the middle of these oceans, not too far off from Hargeon Harbour, stood a large and remote island with a large tree extending out the top of it; that could be seen from miles away. Although the island was far off the mainland it was inhabited by many creatures and filled with a serene natural atmosphere. The island was called Tenrou Island and was the holy ground of the Fairy Tail guild hall and the place where a lot of the guild's S-Class trials would take place and it was also where the founder and first master of the guild, Mavis Vermillion, was buried.

On the large Tenrou Tree that extended into the heavens above the island, sat an elderly woman upon a sturdy branch. The woman looked to be older than Master Makarov himself; she had medium length gray hair and fair skin with two moles on her face (one on the cheek and the other on her forehead). She also wore a long black robe that covered most of her body so that not even her arms were visible to the human eye and she also wore a thick gray scarf around her neck.

As the woman sat there she was completely motionless and her eyes were shut as though she was in an eternal sleep. The woman continued to sit there for a while until a young girl floated next to her. The girl was significantly younger looking than the elderly woman and she had long blonde hair and deep green eyes she also wore a long and frilly pink and white dress with a hint of blue throughout it. The young girl also had two small angel-like wings extending out on both sides of her head. As the girl landed near the elderly woman she instantly began panicking "Chiyo?" she questioned worryingly as she examined the motionless elderly woman "Chiyo!" she then exclaimed and she began to wave her arms around frantically "Chiyo don't die! Chiyo get up!" she continued to scream as tears formed in her eyes.

The elderly woman soon began to tremble slightly as her body erupted into a fit of laughter and her eyes shot open showing that she was very much alive "Oh Mavis!' laughed Chiyo "I was just playing dead, that never gets old...especially on you!" she laughed.

Mavis' eyes were still watering and she quickly turned around and began to sob slightly "Chiyo you're so mean, you keep playing tricks on me!" wailed Mavis.

"Mavis are you crying?" asked a slightly concerned Chiyo.

"No! I'm not crying! Not at all!" exclaimed Mavis firmly through bouts of stifled sobs.

Chiyo chuckled slightly before she looked out onto the vast ocean "You know" she began "It could be time for Makarov to host the next S-Class trial so that means we'll be having some guests soon" she stated.

Mavis instantly perked up "I love it when Makarov brings people to the island, it lets us see how much the guild has grown!" she exclaimed. The two of them continued to look out onto the beautiful sight of the ocean before them waiting to see who Makarov will bring to the island this year. As they continued to look Chiyo released a slight grin as she thought of a brilliant scheme.

* * *

It was now almost a week after the announcement of the S-Class trial and Naruto had been waking up bright and early each day to train himself. He only had one week to train and make sure he was truly ready for the trial and it was sure to be an incredibly intense and difficult challenge. Having never been in a trial before he didn't know what to expect or what types of challenges he would face but he knew that when the time came he would be ready to face whatever Master Makarov would throw at him.

Naruto got out of his bed and started to get ready for his training, he now lived alone as he had moved out of Jiraiya's house and back into his home where his parents once lived. After he got ready he went out to Minato's Crater to begin his final day of training. As he jumped inside the crater he began shouting out inside his head "Kurama! Its training time! Get up!"

Not long after the spiritual form of Kurama appeared next to Naruto "Just because I live inside your body does not mean you can keep waking me up like this! I need my beauty sleep!" yelled Kurama.

"Once the trial is over and I'm S-Class you can sleep in again...but for now I need your help to train" promised Naruto.

"You seem very confident I'd be a little smarter if I were you and think about the opponents as well as my own skill" warned Kurama.

"What? You don't think I've got what it takes?" asked Naruto.

"If it was based solely on your skill in its own right then I'd say you're a perfect person for S-Class but think about it...you've got three other wizards to beat. Cana is probably easy for you to trump but Mirajane and Erza are no joke you're gonna have to be a lot more cunning and strategic in order to beat them" explained Kurama.

"I get what you're saying...I guess I'll just have to train even harder this last day but I think I've also got a few tricks up my sleeve to get one over Erza and Mira" stated Naruto.

"It's true that your use of clones and energy in unison and on their own are outstanding for someone at your age...but I think I can help you get one more trump card" stated Kurama.

"Oh?" questioned an intrigued Naruto "What exactly did you have in mind?" he asked.

"So far since we've known each other you've mastered four levels of my magic; raw energy and kinetic energy came to you rather easily and you taught yourself to use solar and electrical energy over these past few years til you got a good enough handle on them. You probably noticed that they get harder to use as you go along" explained Kurama, Naruto nodded "So I think it's time you learnt the fifth level...and it couldn't come at a more fitting time because the fifth level requires mental power to master as opposed to physical power" explained Kurama "what I am going to teach you is the energy of the spirits...spiritual energy!"

"Spiritual energy?" questioned Naruto "Does it let me control souls like that Bickslow guy who always hangs around with Laxus?" he asked.

"Not exactly...it's more like you draw power from spirits around you and create things with that energy for offence and defence...it's actually rather useful" explained Kurama.

"So I can't control people's souls?" asked Naruto.

"NO!" snapped Kurama and Naruto pouted "But you can affect other people's souls and magic if you use this energy properly" she added.

"What else can it do?" asked Naruto.

"It'll make more sense to you after we give you access to that form of energy now sit down and assume a meditative position" ordered Kurama and Naruto instantly sat down on the dirty ground and crossed his legs while placing his fingers at the ends of his legs just over his kneecaps; his eyes closed as he did so.

"Now I want you to breathe in and out at a steady pace, maintain that breathing no matter what happens!" warned Kurama. Naruto just kept his steady breathing at the same rate to signify his intent to follow through with Kurama's orders.

Naruto continued to do this for several minutes with Kurama just watching. After about five or so minutes Kurama began to glow with a magenta aura and she then bathed Naruto in that aura, the lights began to swirl around him but he was maintaining his breathing "Naruto remain calm no matter what happens" she warned once more as she knelt down in front of him and placed her hands on his temple and then began to place pressure on them as the magenta aura began to condense in on them. Naruto attempted to maintain his breathing but he could only do so for about thirty seconds before he started screaming in agony and broke the connection between Kurama and his mind.

"What was that!?" exclaimed Naruto as he rubbed his head in agony "It felt like you were making my brain explode" he groaned.

"I told you...this magic is unlike the others that you have learnt" stated Kurama "In order to learn it you must be willing to allow your being to be consumed with the energy of spirits...I act as a medium for the spirits since I posses their magic but the only thing that stands in your way is you, your own mind determines whether you can let the spirits in or not" explained Kurama.

Naruto thought for a moment "Try again...keep trying til it works, I won't quit now!" he said with a passionate determination.

"That's what I wanted to hear" beamed Kurama.

Naruto smiled but then he realised something disturbing "Did you take your pants off while you were trying too put spiritual power in me?" asked Naruto.

"Yes" responded Kurama, as if it were completely normal "Now close your eyes and let's begin" stated Kurama. Naruto gulped but he assumed his previous position as Kurama once again tried to transfer the knowledge and power to Naruto.

* * *

Mystogan, Wendy and Carla had been travelling for almost a week with no hope of a proper destination in sight. They were now relying on nature for shelter and food, but Wendy was capable of providing herself with some basic nourishment with her magic. They were currently camped in the middle of a forest; little did they know that this forest was close to the town of Magnolia where the Fairy Tail guild was.

The three of them slept soundly in their makeshift tents, although they were not in the most comfortable environment they weren't in a position to complain as there really was no other alternative for the moment. They continued to sleep soundly until they heard a violent rustling in the bushes outside, it sounded like someone had violently knocked over a tree. Mystogan quickly ran out of the tent to see what was going with Wendy and Carla slowly getting out behind him.

As they examined their surroundings they saw that the trees around the forest were shaking and some of them were even toppling over. Suddenly some of the nearby trees began to rustle as a man was launched through the trees and landed painfully onto the ground right near Mystogan and Wendy; it was Jiraiya. "Mister are you okay?" asked Wendy as she ran over to him, he was still conscious but he had a series of bruises all over his body. She instantly placed her hands over him and emitted a light blue glow that seemed rather soothing, as she did so some of his bruises began to disappear.

"Wendy!" exclaimed Carla "Stop using that magic so carelessly you know you can't do it for very long!" exclaimed the flustered feline but Wendy ignored her and continued to heal the injured Jiraiya.

"Hmm?" asked a confused Jiraiya "Who are you kids? What are you doing out here?" he asked them, although he seemed severely injured it didn't seem like it fazed him at all. Before anyone could answer his question, the ground began to vibrate as another person came crashing through the trees, but this person was in control of her landing and she crashed onto the ground with a large crash; Tsunade had made her entry onto the scene.

"JIRAIYA!" she exclaimed as she rushed at him but her path was quickly blocked as Mystogan stood in between Tsunade and Jiraiya with his staves drawn out in front of him in a defensive position. Upon noticing the children Tsunade instantly cooled down "What's going on here?" she asked.

Jiraiya soon got up off of the ground and cleaned himself up "Thank you young lady" he said kindly to Wendy as he patted her on the head. Wendy smiled kindly "It seems you knocked me into a group of young wizards Tsunade" explained Jiraiya.

"I always did have a good aim" she announced proudly "Next time there won't be anything left for you to salvage though!" she warned.

"Come on now! Don't scare the kids" pleaded Jiraiya as he tried to appeal to Tsunade's rational side.

"Um excuse me?" asked the trembling voice of Wendy as she partially hid herself behind Mystogan "Would you happen to come from a wizard's guild?" she asked fearfully.

Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged glances before they began to laugh "Of course we are...we're from the Fairy Tail guild" they said as they exposed their guild emblems to Wendy and Mystogan.

Wendy's face instantly lit up as she saw the guild emblems but then she quickly returned to her nervous state as she asked her next question "We're looking for a guild to join...could we...um" she could barely finish her question because she was so shy.

"Wendy!" snapped Carla "No one's going to take us into a guild like that...be more confident in yourself" she sighed.

"I'm sorry!" wailed Wendy "COULD WE JOIN YOUR GUILD!?" she exclaimed at the top of her lungs, her eyes closed and arms stuck by her side as she did so. Carla just sighed.

"Well I don't know" said Jiraiya with a slightly sarcastic tone. Wendy's heart sank as she heard those words.

Tsunade then smacked him across the head "Of course you can join, he's just messing around with you" she smiled at them.

Wendy's face instantly lit up "Thank you!" she exclaimed as she got on her knees and began to bow before them.

Tsunade and Jiraiya looked taken aback at this "Hey get up, there's no need for that" assured Jiraiya and Wendy soon got up off the ground.

"Mystogan, Carla is this okay with you?" Wendy asked. Mystogan simply nodded his head without saying a single word or even making the slightest sound.

"It will do" stated Carla.

Jiraiya and Tsunade then lead the group of wizards out of the forest and into the town of Magnolia and towards the guild hall of Fairy Tail. "So what were you kids doing out there?" asked Jiraiya as they made their way towards the town."

"We've been travelling for a few years, at first we didn't know where to but then it got dangerous out there so we decided we needed to find a safe place to stay" explained Wendy.

"What about your parents?" asked Tsunade.

"Well I got separated from my mother and then I met Mystogan and he looked after me" said Wendy happily, despite the sadness of her story "Then one day an egg appeared and I looked after it and then Carla hatched from it. So we've all been travelling together since that day" explained Wendy.

"Hatched from an egg?" questioned Jiraiya and Wendy nodded "That's like Happy, he's another cat in our guild that was hatched by one of our younger members, Natsu." Carla has a look of despair across her face as she heard that there was another one like her at this guild. Mystogan simply remained composed.

"He also got separated from his father a few years ago and then the Master found him and brought him to the guild...we do that a lot" stated Tsunade.

"Yeah but Natsu's father was a dragon, don't forget that" added Jiraiya. Wendy's eyes instantly widened at the mention of the dragon.

"I know, Natsu the Fire Dragon Slayer, son of the Fire Dragon Igneel" stated Tsunade. Wendy looked speechless as she heard the words.

"Um...did you say Dragon?" asked Wendy.

"Yeah but there's no need to be scared Natsu's a nice kid" assured Jiraiya.

"No I'm not frightened, it's just that...my mother was a dragon as well and I know some of her magic" explained Wendy. Jiraiya and Tsunade stopped walking and slowly turned around to face Wendy.

"That healing magic from before...was that a Dragon Slayer spell?" asked Jiraiya.

"Yeah it's the healing spell of the Sky Dragon. I know a lot of defensive and supportive spells but I don't know if I can be called a Dragon Slayer yet" stated Wendy.

"Wendy...when did your mother disappear?" asked Tsunade.

"A couple of years ago in X777" replied Wendy.

"The same as Natsu" stated Jiraiya, they had now resumed walking towards the guild "Well Wendy it seems that you've already got something in common with one of our other members...I'm sure you two will get along just fine."

Wendy showed off a large grin as they continued to walk through the town. Wendy was incredibly excited to get to the guild and meet this Natsu and whoever else was there. "So Mystogan tell us about yourself" said Tsunade but Mystogan remained silent leaving a very awkward vibe amongst them.

"Mystogan doesn't like to talk much" stated Carla.

"Fair enough" replied Tsunade.

They soon arrived at the guild hall, Wendy looked at the large sign at the front of the guild and her eyes lit up "Welcome to Fairy Tail" said Jiraiya as they made their way into the guild hall.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto and Kurama had undergone many attempts to merge the spiritual energy with Naruto's body. The magenta light was now shining around Naruto in a more calm state than ever before, his facial expression indicated no sign of pain although Kurama knew that he was definitely feeling a lot of it. The light then slowly began to ease into Naruto as it faded away inside him. Naruto then slowly opened his eyes and a bright magenta glow filled them.

"Now...let's begin" stated Kurama and Naruto slowly got to his feet.

* * *

As soon as Wendy walked through the doors of the guild hall she was amazed at what she saw and was filled with an incredible sense of happiness. All around her were wizards of various ages and sizes all sitting around and laughing or gathering around the notice board looking for a quest to take on. In the middle of the hall Gray and Natsu had gotten into another brawl that Lisanna was trying to break up since Erza had gone off elsewhere for the day and wasn't there to exact her usual punishment upon them. Mirajane, who should have been off training, was simply sitting around the guild and laughing at the ice and fire wizards as they beat each other to a pulp.

Tsunade instantly ran over to the two of them and pulled them apart "Enough you two!" she stated as the she threw them to either end of the hall.

"HE STARTED IT!" they both shouted at the same time.

"Do you think I care? Now cut it out...we have some new people here" stated Tsunade as Jiraiya walked over to them with Wendy, Mystogan and Carla.

"Hmm?" groaned Makarov who had been sitting on the counter drinking away and watching over the guild hall for the morning "Who do we have here?" he asked as Wendy and Mystogan walked over to him.

"Master" began Jiraiya "We found these two in the forest, this is Wendy and Mystogan and that one in her arms is Carla."

"Nice to meet you...Master" stated Wendy as she smiled at the old man. Mystogan continued to remain silent.

"Nice to meet ya" beamed Makarov, almost falling off the counter as he did so. The other members of the guild had begun to look over at the new members, even Natsu and Gray had stopped their bickering and begun to pay attention. Happy was immediately drawn to Carla as he began to tug on Lisanna's dress.

"Lisanna, go give her this fish from me" he requested.

"Happy are you embarrassed to go say hello?" asked Lisanna and Happy instantly turned around and began to blush slightly.

"Welcome to the guild!" exclaimed Makarov "Everyone let's have a cheer for our new members!" he ordered as he raised his drunken hand into the air with the symbolic Fairy Tail gesture. Everyone present then began to do the same and they began to cheer in welcome for Wendy, Mystogan and Carla.

Soon afterwards the excitement died down and everyone resumed their previous conversations or activities. As Wendy was still a little shy she wasn't sure what to do, she wasn't used to being around this many people so she sort of stayed around the counter with Carla, somehow Mystogan had managed to disappear leaving the two of them alone in the new place "Where'd Mystogan go?" wondered Wendy.

"He probably had some important things to do now that we're safe" stated Carla.

"How much do you know about Mystogan?" asked Wendy.

"Never you mind" responded Carla. Before Wendy could question Carla further, Jiraiya walked over to the two of them, next to him was Natsu.

"Wendy I'd like you to meet Natsu, he's the Fire Dragon Slayer we were talking about earlier" stated Jiraiya.

"Hi there, so you're a dragon slayer too?" he asked "I've never met another one before, do you want to fight me?"

"What!?" exclaimed Wendy "No! I don't know any offensive spells and even if I did I wouldn't want to fight you!" she exclaimed.

"What? No offensive spells not even a dragon's roar?" he asked, Wendy shook her head "claw?" she shook her head again "wing attack?" he asked and once again she shook her head "So what type of dragon slayer are you?" he questioned.

"My mother was Grandeeney the Sky Dragon" stated Wendy "I know a lot of healing spells and supportive abilities but I didn't get to learn any attacking spells before my mother disappeared" stated Wendy rather shyly.

"Your dragon parent disappeared as well?" asked Natsu and Wendy nodded "Was it a few years ago...Year X777?" asked Natsu and once again Wendy nodded at his question "That's just like me!" he exclaimed "Hey why don't we work together to find out what happened to our parents, I'm sure the two of us will be able to find them if we work together!" suggested Natsu.

Wendy's eyes instantly lit up "You'd help me find Grandeeney?" she asked and Natsu nodded reassuringly "Ah! Thank you!" exclaimed Wendy as she leapt onto Natsu and hugged him.

Happy had now mustered enough courage to approach Carla "Hi there I'm Happy" he introduced but Carla merely turned her head away from him "She's shy how cute!" exclaimed Happy as his head begun spinning.

"Okay!" exclaimed Natsu as Wendy let go of him "If we're gonna work together you're gonna need to learn how to fight...come on I'll teach you the best attack!" he exclaimed as he grabbed Wendy's arm and ran out of the guild hall with her.

"Wendy!" exclaimed Carla "Wait!" she called as she ran after the two dragon slayers with Happy running after them.

Natsu had taken Wendy outside to the lake near the guild hall, he wanted to try and teach her the most basic yet effective Dragon Slayer ability, the Dragon Roar. Even though they were different elements the fundamentals were still the same.

"Okay Wendy I'll teach you how to roar like a dragon just like how Igneel taught me" stated Natsu, Wendy had an expression of concern and excitement on her face "So this is what the roar is" stated Natsu as he inhaled deeply.

"Natsu don't!" exclaimed Happy but Natsu didn't hear Happy's warning and he immediately released a large roar of fire across the area that they were in. Natsu smiled proudly at the roar but his smile instantly dropped as he saw that he had accidentally hit Erza who had just returned from her round of training before the exam. Her eyes were wide with anger and she was holding a red blade that seemed to have absorbed the brunt of the attack but her hair was still slightly singed.

"Erza!" exclaimed Natsu as he began cowering in fear as Erza approached him "Uh have you met Wendy?" questioned Natsu as Erza's eyes bore down upon him "She's new to the guild and she's a dragon slayer!" exclaimed Natsu.

Erza slowly removed her gaze from Natsu and instead focused it on Wendy, though her expression was a lot warmer and friendlier by the time she addressed Wendy "Hello there I'm Erza, pleased to meet you" she smiled as she introduced herself.

"I'm Wendy it's nice to meet you" laughed Wendy.

"What were you guys doing just before when Natsu decided to fire his power around like an idiot?" asked Erza calmly.

"I was teaching Wendy how to roar!" defended Natsu "She doesn't know how to fight yet and I'm going to teach her how!"

"Although I don't really like fighting" mumbled Wendy.

"Oh?" questioned Erza "Well then by all means continue...I was just stopping by to have a snack before finishing off my training" explained Erza as she sat down on the grassy patch and pulled out a slice of strawberry cheesecake from her bag "Continue, I am very interested to watch a dragon slayer train."

"Alright!" exclaimed Natsu as he clenched his fists together "Wendy get ready" he ordered and Wendy assumed the same stance as Natsu to show that she was ready to start "I want you to inhale as deep as you can, but not like your breathing for air, like your absorbing the sky...that's what Igneel said to me except for fire!" ordered Natsu.

Wendy did as Natsu instructed and began to inhale the air around her til she was completely full "Now release it like your roaring or yelling at your opponent" Wendy then released her breath and let out a column of sky magic that shot out towards the distance, it wasn't as large or destructive as Natsu's attack but that would come with practice.

After Wendy let out the roar she was huffing and puffing from exhaustion "Did I do well?" she asked as she caught her breath.

"Yeah that was good!" exclaimed Natsu.

"It was interesting" added Erza as she continued to eat her cake "Although I'd say you need to add more strength into the attack to do some real damage in a fight. That will come with experience."

"Wendy's amazing, she learnt it on the first go!" exclaimed Happy.

"Of course she did he-cat, Wendy's naturally talented" added Carla, though she sounded like she was scolding Happy as she did so.

Wendy smiled at the kind words of her new friends "Should I try again?" she asked.

Before Natsu could respond a voice from behind them shouted out "Hey what are you guys up to?" everyone turned around to see Naruto standing there, he had been watching the entire time.

"Hey it's Naruto!" exclaimed Natsu "Come meet Wendy she's my new friend and she's a dragon slayer!" exclaimed the young Salamander.

"Dragon Slayer?" questioned Kurama who was standing alongside Naruto "Another one...interesting" she muttered.

Naruto headed down to where his friends were. "Shouldn't you be training?" questioned Erza.

"Heh...I'm finished...ready for tomorrow?" he asked.

"Of course" smiled Erza as the two shared an intense gaze and an aura of competitiveness filled the area "So who is this Wendy?" asked Naruto as he looked around.

"Um I'm down here" answered Wendy and Naruto looked down to see the young girl standing in front of him.

"What? You're so young and you're a dragon slayer!" exclaimed an amazed Naruto "How old are you?" he asked.

"I'm eight" replied Wendy.

"She knows the roar already...thanks to my training" bragged Natsu "Now how about you fight us Naruto!" exclaimed Natsu.

"What!?" exclaimed Wendy "No!" she shouted.

"Well if Wendy doesn't want to fight how about Naruto and I against Natsu?" suggested Erza.

"That's crazy! I do not want to die!" exclaimed Natsu. All of them began to laugh unaware that Mystogan was watching them from a safe distance. He saw how Wendy learnt the Sky Dragon's Roar and he knew that she was now among people that she could have fun with and rely upon...he knew he could trust this guild to be a safe place for her while he carried out his own personal mission...

* * *

The next day the S-Class contenders as well as Hiruzen and Master Makarov gathered in Hargeon Port Town Harbour where they boarded the large wooden Fairy Tail yacht that would carry them to Tenrou Island where they would endure the trials of the S-Class exam. The voyage to Tenrou Island was a long one and the weather conditions made it incredibly hot and sweaty for those on the boat forcing the girls into bathing suits and Naruto into swim shorts. Hiruzen and Makarov both wore tropical island style shirts as well as shorts to keep themselves cool.

"Is it always like this at this time of year?" groaned Naruto as he leaned against the side of the boat; the sweat could be seen glistening off his body.

"It's like this all year long they say" answered Erza as she lay down on a chair and bathed in the sun, sweat was glistening off of her just like Naruto but she didn't seem fussed about it.

"Oh my god it's so hot!" groaned Kurama "I'm going to take off my pants and my top!" she exclaimed in an excited manner as she began to strip down.

"Kurama stop you can't even feel the temperature where you are!" yelled Naruto but Kurama simply ignored Naruto and removed her clothes.

"Ah much better" she sighed Naruto just rolled his eyes, he thought he would be used to this by now but it never ceases to amaze him how Kurama will find any opportunity to remove her clothes all for the sake of comfort.

As Naruto continued to bathe in the sun, Mirajane suddenly jumped next to him and startled him "Hey Naruto!" she said slyly, she was wearing a completely black one piece swim suit and wasn't shy about her body.

"What's up Mira?" asked Naruto "Here to beg me to go easy on you when we get to the island?" he teased.

"Ha! You wish!" laughed Mirajane "No I just had a small question to ask you...who do you think is hotter in their swimming outfit me or Erza?" she asked with an evil grin on her face. As soon as Mirajane asked the question Naruto began to blush as he looked over at Erza who was trying to cover her face to hide her embarrassment as she had overheard Mirajane's question.

"Uh...um...I can't answer that!" he stuttered as he continued to look at Erza.

"Hahahaha!" laughed Mirajane "I think I know the answer anyway" she laughed with that same evil grin as she walked away from him.

"Don't let that get to you!" warned Kurama "She's probably just messing with you before the start of the trial" assured Kurama but Naruto seemed lost in his own world as he continued to look at Erza "Hey Naruto?... NARUTO SNAP OUT OF IT!" roared Kurama and Naruto instantly snapped back to reality.

"What did you say something?" he asked.

"Ugh never mind" groaned Kurama. The rest of the voyage was rather silent as everyone was mentally preparing for the trial that awaited them ahead. Soon an island began to appear in the horizon and it was clear that they were about to begin the S-Class Trial.

"Wow there's an intense amount of magical pressure coming off that island!" stated Erza in awe as the boat neared the shoreline of the island.

"It was once said that long ago fairies used to inhabit Tenrou Island" sounded out Makarov as the boat drew in to the shore, everyone turned their attention onto him as it was clear that he was about to explain the rules of this "This trial will begin with an intellectual challenge that will be presided over by Hiruzen, as soon as you solve the puzzle a map will appear in your grasp similar to this one!" stated Makarov as he showed them an example of a map that would appear. It was a simple map of the island which had a red line drawn on it mapping out certain routes, there were a series of exclamation marks placed upon the map "The rules are simple. After you attain the map you follow the route, the one who reaches the end shall become an S-Class Wizard but make no mistake...this is not a simple walk in the park there are trials much more tasking that await you on that island" warned Makarov in a foreboding tone "ENJOY KIDS!" he exclaimed and suddenly he was lifted up into the air by Tonton, who was apparently on the ship the entire time "See you at the finish line" he called out as he was lifted.

"Tonton!?" everyone exclaimed.

"Boyou!" she cried out from the distance as her and Makarov disappeared onto the island. Everyone was silent as they assessed what Makarov just told them, the trial seemed simple enough but they had no idea what awaited them on that island or how to be ready for what might pop out at them.

"I'll now explain the first part in more detail" said Hiruzen as he cleared his throat, he walked around and handed them all a light pen each and as they were given the pen, a rune appeared around them and sealed them in "Now you'll each be given a certain riddle or question that you must solve in order to escape from the seal, once you solve it your map will appear to you and then you may proceed through the island. Each riddle is different so there is no way for you to cheat in this trial...begin!" he declared and as he said so a set of words appeared on each of the four rune seals.

Naruto examined his rune and saw the riddle displayed out for him to read _"Echoes from the shadow realm, whispers of things yet to come. Thought's strange sister dwells in night, is swept away by dawning light...of what do I speak?" _he continued to look at it with a blank expression spread across his face.

"How am I supposed to figure that out!?" he exclaimed "It makes absolutely no sense!" he complained he then looked over and began to panic, Erza had already solved her riddle within a matter of minutes and already had her map in hand. She quickly ran off the boat and further into the trial without even looking back "She's already solved it!" he exclaimed with a panicked expression on his face.

"Hmm" mused Kurama as she examined the riddle "I know exactly what that is its easy...it's!" but Naruto raised his hand to stop her.

"Please Kurama; I need to do this alone. If I let you solve this for me I wouldn't deserve the title of an S-Class Wizard so please let me do this trial alone" he said in an incredibly sincere expression.

Kurama looked at him and smiled "Okay if it means that much to you I'll just watch you and won't interfere" she assured.

"Thank you" replied Naruto, by now Cana had solved her puzzle and she was on her way off the boat, all that were left were himself and Mirajane. "Come on Naruto think!" he said to himself "Thought's strange sister...swept away by dawning light? Oh I know it's night time!" shouted Naruto and he quickly wrote it down.

"Incorrect" read the rune as it erased Naruto's answer.

"Ha!" exclaimed Mirajane "I got it!" she stated and her rune instantly came down and a map materialised in her hand "See you later Naruto" laughed Mirajane as she took off.

"Dammit!" exclaimed Naruto "Okay come on think...shadow realm...something to do with thought but strange and it gets swept away by light...hmm" he pondered as he continued to assess the riddle before him.

* * *

Erza's map lead her through to a tunnel on the far left side of the island, along the way she encountered a few of the island's creatures but fought them off rather easily. She had now requipped into her Heart Kreuz armour and was wielding a large broadsword. The trip through the tunnel had been rather quiet but it was not a peaceful silence...it was eerie and seemed to indicate that something powerful was waiting for her up ahead.

As Erza continued to walk the silent path she stopped moving at one point and looked around "Come!" she called out, she could sense that someone or something was watching her from the shadows. As soon as she said those words a white flash came down from the ceiling above her and attempted to slash Erza with two katanas but she adeptly deflected the attack with her broad sword and knocked back her opponent. She could now see her opponent clearly, it wasn't human it looked to be like an artificial life from or some kind of remotely controlled puppet. It was tall and slender and adorned in a large all white coat with a rather pronounced collar. The face of the puppet was a light blue colour and it was shaped in a strange oval shape that made it look like some kind of alien, it also had a strange symbol on its forehead that Erza could not recognise.

The puppet suddenly launched at Erza once more but she slashed through the attack and cut the puppet in half. She then continued to make her way through the tunnel but she didn't get very far before the puppet started to make noises and Erza turned. Her face instantly dropped to a state of horror as she watched the puppet put itself back together with ease before it released a large burst of fire from its mouth that headed straight towards Erza.

* * *

Cana's map had landed her in a similar situation, though she was walking through the central part of the tunnel system on the island. She was now faced with a puppet similar to Erza's one. It too wore a white coat but it was a lot shorter than the one Erza was facing and it had an orange-pink skin tone and long blonde hair that pointed directly upwards. Cana instantly threw a set of three cards at the puppet but before they had a chance to hit their targets the cards were reflected back at Cana who narrowly dodged the attack.

The puppet then charged at Cana but as it approached the area where she was it was hit with a series of electrical shocks. Cana had laid down a few cards on the floor in order to trap the puppet "I got it!" she exclaimed with a large grin but it soon faded as the puppet released a massive burst of magic that repelled the cards away from it and even knocked Cana back a fair distance. She slowly got up off the ground and saw the puppet coming at her with a large meat cleaver like weapon.

* * *

Naruto was still trapped inside the rune seal on the boat he had thought of a few attempts to solve the riddle but none had worked. It was like all hope was lost "Dammit!" he yelled as he began to kick the rune "How am I supposed to follow my dreams if I can't even solve a stupid riddle!" he exclaimed that's when it clicked in his head "Thought's strange sister swept away by dawning light!" he exclaimed "That's dreams it's got to be, when we sleep at night its dark and we have dreams that are like strange thoughts and when morning comes they disappear...I GOT IT!" he exclaimed as he wrote down the answer and the rune instantly accepted the response.

"Well done Naruto" congratulated Hiruzen "Now go quickly, you've got a fair bit to catch up on if you want to win" he urged and Naruto just nodded before he took hold of his map and jumped off of the boat and onto the sandy shores of Tenrou Island. He followed his map to the far right side of the island where he was lead into a tunnel that would probably lead him to the end of the trial but that means that all the difficult challenges await him inside the tunnel.

* * *

Erza had managed to brush off the worst parts of the attack with her Flame Sword that scarcely cut through some of the flames and defended her. She then charged at the puppet with her broadsword but the puppet had once again drawn out its own swords and deflected Erza's strikes "What's the point of using a sword when it can recover from my attacks!" she thought to herself as she continued to deflect the puppet's attacks.

"Wait I got it!" she thought to herself but before she could enact her plan she was hit directly with a large burst of fire it looked like she was struck with the attack but as the smoke cleared out she was seen standing strongly with a shield drawn out in front of her. The puppet started to charge at her once more with the twin blades and began to spin around ridiculously. As it did so Erza watched carefully with a patient gaze, analysing each of the puppets movements as it came closer to her. She payed close attention to its footsteps and just as it drew near her she dropped to the ground and sliced directly through its feet with her blade; causing the puppet to fall over. She then picked it up and shoved it against the wall. She then let out a might scream as she impaled through the puppet with her broadsword and trapped it onto the rocky walls of the cave; her sword holding it in place so that it couldn't escape and come after her.

Erza stayed there for a few more moments and watched to make sure the puppet didn't move, once she was sure that she had succeeded she continued down the path that her map was leading her to. It was nowhere near over; this was just a warm up battle.

* * *

Mirajane had been the only one out of the group to obtain a map that lead her over the tunnels and through the forest. Though there were creatures in the forest none of them were scarier than Mirajane and they dared not approach her. She eventually came to a clearing in the middle of the woods "This is too easy!" she complained "I want a real challenge, you call this an S-Class trial I call this a bitch!" she exclaimed.

Suddenly the trees above her began to rustle and Mirajane looked upwards to see a white coated figure descend upon her; this puppet was somewhat human looking except for the fact that you could see that its mouth was detachable, it had human like skin and wore its hair in a set of red-haired buns. As the puppet came down upon Mirajane she looked up and grinned "Satan Soul!" she cried as a dark aura materialised around her and she morphed into a demonic humanoid creature with wings, a tail and horns she still looked like Mirajane only more evil. She then grabbed the puppet by the head "I love beating up red heads!" she laughed as she released a dark spark from her hand that surged through the puppet.

The puppet didn't seem to be affected by Mirajane's attack and it slowly started to distort and escape from Mirajane's clutches rather simply. "What!?" she exclaimed as the puppet fazed through her grasp "Where'd it go?" she questioned as she looked around frantically. The puppet slowly materialised behind Mirajane and slowly grew to an overly large size as it kicked Mirajane through the forest with immense strength.

"Dammit!" she spat as she got up from the attack to see that the now over sized puppet was coming at her with incredible speed "How am I supposed to fight that, it has the Master's magic?" she wondered as she flew into the sky in an attempt to escape from the range of the puppet.

* * *

Cana had now managed to gain an upper hand on the puppet by managing to escape from all of its telekinetic attacks, Cana knew that there was no way for her to destroy the puppet but she had to somehow think of a way to immobilise it so that she could continue with the trial. It was an absolute must for her that she win this S-Class trial and become S-Class...

"There's only one thing I've got that can permanently stop this thing" she said to herself "I wanted to save it for later but...I've got no other choice!" she exclaimed as she threw a card at the puppet "Smoke Card!" she called out and the card instantly let off a dark smoke that filled the area "Now's my chance!" she exclaimed as she ran through the smoke and pulled out two gold cards from her pouch. "Anti-Magic and Freezer Card!" she exclaimed as she came out of the smoke and jumped at the puppet throwing her cards down towards it. The puppet didn't have enough time to react as the cards came down towards it and it was swallowed by a large piece of ice that emitted a bright blue glow. The puppet was stuck with nowhere to go.

Cana was breathing heavily, she had exhausted a lot of magic power with that attack but still she looked at her map and continued to walk through the treacherous tunnel, not thinking for even a second that she could lose.

* * *

Naruto ran through his tunnel at an intense speed, he knew he was at a disadvantage since he finished his riddle last. As he ran through he didn't take the time to assess his surroundings and even look back to see if he was being followed. As he reached about halfway through the tunnel he heard a large crashing sound coming through the roof as the fourth puppet came crashing down towards Naruto and hit him directly with a massive explosion.

The puppet examined the area where the attack hit and saw Naruto laying motionless on the ground, he had been knocked out. As the puppet was about to leave he was hit directly with a blast of yellow energy that burnt right through it "I knew it was a good idea sending that clone ahead!" shouted Naruto's voice as he came through the darkness of the tunnel and into the puppet's sight. The clone on the floor had now disappeared leaving only the real Naruto and the puppet in the room.

The puppet attempted to attack Naruto with another explosive force but Naruto quickly jumped over the attack and released a set of two electrical chains from his hands that latched onto the puppet "I don't have time to waste playing with dolls!" he exclaimed as he released a surge of electrical currents through the chains.

As Naruto came down he then turned around and saw that the puppet was still moving as it faced him and swung its arm forward towards Naruto, this confused Naruto at first but he realised what the puppet was doing when the earth beneath him melted and he was knocked backwards.

Naruto got up from the attack, his bones were aching from the attack but he dismissed the pain. He had to dispose of the puppet soon or else he would never catch up to the others. He saw that the puppet was starting to come at him "I don't need to destroy this thing, I need to overcome it and I don't want to use up too much magic power...so if I can stop it without over exerting myself then the best thing to do would be..." he suddenly extended his hand and released an orange glow "Kinetic overdrive!" he shouted as he surrounded the puppet with the aura, the puppet suddenly began to vibrate as its body parts began to fly off in multiple directions as they exploded with an orange glow.

Naruto sighed with relief as he turned around and continued to walk through the tunnel "There's something worse ahead...I can feel it" he said as he continued to walk through the cave.

"Well you've done pretty good so far, I mean a slow start but that was a quick job right there so maybe you've caught up in time" suggested Kurama.

"Yeah I hope so" stated Naruto.

"I feel like I've seen those puppets somewhere before" mused Kurama.

"Where?" questioned Naruto.

"I can't seem to recall but I feel like it was a very long time ago" replied Kurama, she continued to ponder this as they walked through the darkness of the tunnel.

* * *

Mirajane had been flying around trying to avoid the giant puppet's attacks but she was constantly being overwhelmed by the size, strength and skill of her opponent. No matter where she flew, the puppet would pull out a tree or pick up a large rock and throw it at her; most of the time she just managed to narrowly dodge them.

"I need to knock out this thing now!" exclaimed Mirajane as she flew down towards the puppet with two balls of dark energy in her fists. She then began to repeatedly bash the puppet but it seemed to have no effect on the giant doll. Mirajane flew back to gain some distance as the puppet swung around in an attempt to hit her.

Mirajane knew that this fight was taking far too long and that she was going to fall further behind if she didn't wrap it up soon. "EVIL EXPLOSION!" shouted Mirajane as she released a large blast of dark energy in the form of a ball at the puppet. As the ball hit the puppet it exploded and consumed it with dark energy. When the darkness faded Mirajane instantly noticed that her attack had caused the puppet to shrink back down to normal size so she instantly took that opportunity and swooped down to the puppet and grabbed it in her grasp immediately throwing it into the air and kicking it away. She then flew off continuing to follow the path that the map had displayed for her.

* * *

Erza had made her way to a large open area in the tunnel it was a rather large room and it seemed like the fitting place for a battle to take place as Erza had reached the first exclamation mark on her map. She saw her opponent across the battlefield and eyed her confidently "So Tsunade I guess the day has finally come when we will fight against each other!" stated Erza as she pulled out her sword and pointed it at Tsunade "I can think of no better opponent than my teacher for my S-Class Trial!" shouted Erza.

Tsunade smiled as she heard these words come out of Erza's mouth, she was proud of her young apprentice but this was an S-Class trial so she wasn't going to give any quarter just because she liked Erza "You've come a long way since that day I found you on the beach. You've grown from a weak little girl into a confident and strong young woman who is very much capable of the role of an S-Class Wizard" stated Tsunade as she got off the ground and began glowing with an aqua aura "Let's just see how capable you really are...come child!" she shouted.

* * *

Cana had now reached the first exclamation mark on her map and it had taken her out of the tunnel and into a rocky enclosure just outside the caves. Suddenly a bolt of lightning came crashing down and Cana barely managed to escape from its strike she then heard a wicked laugh resonate from above her and she looked up to see Laxus sitting on the large rocky wall "Well, well if it isn't little Cana...looks like you've already had a bit of a rough time" mocked Laxus as he continually created an electric spark in his hand.

"Laxus!" shouted Cana "You're not stopping me I will become an S-Class and I will get past you!" she exclaimed.

"How brave of you...but I have no intention of letting you get past this point...It's just unfortunate for you that you had to face me!" barked Laxus as he sent down another large bolt of lightning towards Cana only this time when she tried to dodge the attack the bolt bounced off the ground and struck her, electrocuting her all over. Cana screamed in pain as her body surged with lightning.

* * *

Naruto had come to a small clearing in his path, he was still inside the tunnel but the roof of the clearing had caved in allowing light from the outside to come in. Naruto looked over and saw a familiar suited figure sitting on one of the rocks and happily reading a book. He looked so content "Kakashi!" exclaimed Naruto "What are you doing at the exclamation point?" asked Naruto.

"Yo" replied Kakashi casually as he put his book away and smiled warmly at Naruto through his face mask "Nice to see you finally made it, I was wondering who I was going to have to face" he said lazily.

"I see so I have to prove myself to you in battle...no problem! Let's go!" exclaimed Naruto as he readied himself for the fight.

Kakashi slowly got up off of his rock and stretched himself out, yawning loudly as he did so "Okay come on" he called unenthusiastically.

"What? You're not even being serious!" exclaimed Naruto but suddenly a lightning speed blur went right past him and Kakashi appeared right behind him and sent him flying with a burst of wind.

"First lesson of being an S-Class, always be on your guard!" warned Kakashi.

Naruto got up off the ground and grinned "Maybe you need a refresher course!" he laughed, Kakashi looked confused but he soon realised what Naruto meant when he was bombarded with a massive force from behind as the real Naruto stormed in and blasted Kakashi with an explosive burst of raw energy.

Kakashi got up from the attack rather casually "Well done Naruto...let me just check...how much of your magic I've copied!" he said in a very calm yet ominous tone as he removed his headband from over his right eye and revealed a blood red glow coming out of it.

* * *

Mirajane came out of the forest and into an open field, behind her she could see a set of cave openings which she assumed would be the exit of the tunnels, she could also make out the faint sight of lightning in the distance but she dismissed it as there wasn't a cloud in the sky for there to be a storm.

"So it seems you have to face me Mirajane, I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful matchup" stated a voice from behind Mirajane and she quickly turned around to see Jiraiya standing in the grassy field staring directly at her with a slightly perverted grin.

"If it isn't the perverted sage Jiraiya...I'm going to enjoy beating you!" laughed Mirajane.

"Don't get cocky kid you simply have to prove yourself to me...beating me is an entirely different story!" warned Jiraiya.

"Well regardless I will win and I've got extra incentive since I hate perverts!" exclaimed Mirajane as she once again transformed into her demonic form and launched at Jiraiya but he easily jumped out of the way.

"You're gonna have to do better than that!" he laughed "And I am not a pervert...I am an artist!" he exclaimed with a large bout of laughter.

"PERVERT!" corrected Mirajane as she launched at him again.

* * *

Tonton had taken Makarov to a cave far on the other side of the island where the maps would lead all the contenders to, if they had survived their trials that was. The cave had an incredible sentimentality attached to it as it was where the First Master of Fairy Tail was buried. Makarov sat outside the grave marked "Mavis." Tonton had flown back to the boat in order to grab Hiruzen and to check if anyone had failed the first round.

As Makarov continued to sit there in silence he heard a set of footsteps approach him "Ah Makarov, I thought I'd find you here" said the voice of an elderly woman as she entered the cave "The S-Class trial sure is lively this year isn't it? Your children never cease to amaze me" she said.

"Hello Elder Chiyo, I'm assuming it was your doing to send some of your puppets into the exam?" questioned Makarov.

"Just making sure that your contenders are up to scratch" stated Chiyo as she took a seat next to Makarov.

"And?" he questioned.

"Terrible" she sighed and Makarov's jaw instantly dropped "Not one of the puppets was truly destroyed or immobilised, I could have escaped all of their attacks and chased after them but I simply let them pass because I'm a nice old lady" laughed Chiyo.

"No one can defeat those puppets...not even I" barked Makarov.

"Well your children are enthusiastic and determined I'll give them that...I'm interested to see which of them will make it all the way here...if any" mused Chiyo.

"I think seclusion on this island has affected you a little bit Elder Chiyo" sighed Makarov but Chiyo just laughed as they sat there and waited for Tonton to return with Hiruzen.

* * *

Erza and Tsunade ran at each other as Tsunade readied her fist and brought it down upon the girl but Erza instantly jumped to the side of the attack and attempted to slash Tsunade with her sword but Tsunade responded instantly and swung herself around to block Erza's strike with her bare fist, shattering the large, steel sword.

Erza instantly pulled out another sword, this time it was a small short sword and she slashed it down at Tsunade but the older woman jumped back to avoid the strike "Your magic is incredible, requipping at such a rate is an incredibly rare talent...you should be proud!" exclaimed Tsunade "But it won't be enough to get past me!" she laughed.

"That won't stop me!" shouted Erza as she charged at Tsunade with the sword but Tsunade was one step ahead and instantly jumped upward and came crashing down with an immense amount of power.

"Heaven Kick of Pain!" she shouted as she came down on Erza but much to Tsunade's surprise she felt an intense amount of pain in her leg as she felt the force of her kick reflect back towards her and knock her into the ceiling of the cave. She looked down to see Erza brandishing a large metal shield with a large lion head depicted in front of it.

"Impossible! You pulled that out in the blink of an eye!" exclaimed an exasperated Tsunade as she dropped down from the ceiling.

"You taught me well Tsunade" smiled Erza as she returned the shield to her pocket dimension "Now I'll show you just how far I've come!" she said harshly with a sincere expression on her face. Tsunade was smiling with anticipation, she was enjoying this battle a lot more than she thought she would.

Erza began to glow all over as her body was covered with an immense amount of magical pressure "Requip: Black Wing Armour!" she shouted and as soon as she did so the light faded and Erza was seen adorned in a completely different set of amour. It was black all over with silver trimming**, **there were large metal plates covering her legs and arms but her chest was almost as exposed as Tsunade's was. There were also two large wings on the back of the armour and it was accompanied by a long sword with a black hilt and silver blade "Come!" ordered Erza.

* * *

Cana was having an incredibly difficult time against Laxus; she had exhausted a lot of magic power in her earlier fight and now she was up against one of the more powerful wizards in the guild. Laxus was zapping away at her from afar not giving her a moment to form a counter attack or even catch her breath.

"Cana you think you can become S-Class when you're this weak? Do you have no respect for the strength of our guild!?" exclaimed Laxus as he repeatedly blasted Cana with powerful bolts of lightning.

Cana lay on the floor barely moving she had no strength left to respond to Laxus let alone fight back and prove herself, all she could manage to do was cough out a few words "I must become S-Class" she stuttered and tears began to fall out of her eyes.

"Weaklings don't deserve the title of S-Class!" barked Laxus as he released another bolt of lightning at Cana, with no strength left in her the bolt was most definitely going to hit her but just before it could obliterate her, Hiruzen jumped in and grabbed the bolt in his palm with ease.

"Laxus!" he warned in an angry tone as Tonton came down next to him "What have you done? The rules were to test them and see if they were capable but most of all you were not to go all out!" barked Hiruzen "You have violated that rule and nearly killed one of our own!"

"It wasn't actually going to kill her!" laughed Laxus "Besides if she couldn't even defend against that then why does she deserve to be in the same league as me!?"

"You're despicable boyou!" shouted Tonton.

"Watch it piggy or else I'll make some bacon out of you!" sneered Laxus.

"BOYOU!" shouted Tonton in fear as she cowered behind Hiruzen.

"Laxus!" snapped Hiruzen "I think you should leave the island the Master and I will talk to you when we get back to the guild so just go" ordered Hiruzen but Laxus merely rolled his eyes and shrugged "Now before I get really angry!" snapped Hiruzen and the earth began to tremble as he did so.

"Okay jeez!" sighed Laxus and he walked away from the area leaving Hiruzen with Cana who was still crying ridiculously.

"I'm sorry my dear but you don't get to pass...its merely bad luck that you were against Laxus" apologised Hiruzen but Cana didn't say anything she just continued to sob "Tonton take her to Makarov for some medical attention...I'll walk" stated Hiruzen. Tonton complied and picked up Cana and flew off while Hiruzen simply shook his head and headed towards Mavis' grave on foot "Makarov...we need to do something about him" he said to himself as he walked off.

* * *

Kakashi surrounded himself in a red aura that faded away almost instantly "I see so last time I was with you I copied your four energies; raw, kinetic, solar and electric...should be interesting to see which of us is better with your magic?" laughed Kakashi as he covered his hands in lightning and charged at Naruto "Twin Lightning Shiver!" he cried as he jabbed his two hands at Naruto who adeptly blocked the attack with two balls of electric energy.

"Ha! Kakashi you can't beat me with my own magic!" laughed Naruto but as soon as he said that Kakashi's eyes began to fill with an intense yellow colour as he emitted two bursts of solar energy that hit Naruto in the face and knocked him back. Kakashi then took this moment of weakness to slam his hands on the ground and emit an orange glow that caused the energy around Naruto to cave in and explode upon him.

"I think I can" stated Kakashi smugly.

Naruto quickly got up from the attack but staggered slightly as he did so; he quickly jumped back though as he saw Kakashi throw a series of electric balls at him that detonated upon impact. As he jumped back he gathered a yellow glow in his mouth "SOLAR BEAM!" he shouted as he released the solar blast from his mouth, but Kakashi simply created a wall of raw energy that took the impact of the attack.

"Come on Naruto...I thought you couldn't lose against someone using your magic" taunted Kakashi.

Naruto was getting frustrated, Kakashi was playing on his short temper and it was working "Ahhh!" screamed Naruto as he smashed his palms together "Multi energy clone combination!" he shouted and four clones materialised near him, one was blue, the other was yellow, the third was orange and the final one was made of electricity but in the shape of Naruto.

"Interesting...combining your two brands of magic" mused Kakashi "Will it work?"

"Go!" shouted Naruto ignoring Kakashi's taunts and the four clones quickly ran at Kakashi. Kakashi charged at Naruto's mini army. As the first one made of raw energy closed in on him Kakashi sliced right through it with a lightning blade. The second one made of Kinetic energy came rushing towards him next but Kakashi instantly created a zone of kinetic repulsion in its path, causing it to self destruct upon contact. The one constructed of solar energy came next and Kakashi quickly grabbed it by the forehead and simply absorbed the energy into a solar ball and then used that ball to destroy the final clone that came at him. Naruto stared speechless as his clones were easily destroyed by Kakashi.

"You're magic is really strong Naruto I could get used to this" laughed Kakashi but Naruto soon joined in on this laughter and Kakashi became confused.

"Kakashi you say you only copied four of my energies?" laughed Naruto and Kakashi suddenly lost his smile and returned to his usual scowl "Who would've thought I'd end up testing my examiner!" laughed Naruto as he began to glow with a bright magenta glow that formed the shape of a fox around him accompanied with five tails "Did you not know that I recently acquired a fifth?" mocked Naruto as the energy converged around him.

"Now the real fight begins" said Kakashi with a slight grin and with that the two of them charged at each other.

* * *

"You perverted old fool!" exclaimed Mirajane as she kneed Jiraiya in the face but he simply brushed it off and punched Mirajane backwards with incredible strength as he was bathed in a bright green glow.

"Mirajane that is no way to treat your elders you naughty girl!" laughed Jiraiya as he summoned a bright green glow around Mirajane and caused it to condense around her making her scream in pain as she was reverted to her human form.

"What?" she said in a panicked and confused tone "How did this happen? Where'd my Take Over go?" she asked.

"You're too arrogant Mirajane, my magic provides balance and can restore things, including your form" explained Jiraiya "At this point I don't think you can become an S-Class Mage" stated Jiraiya indicating that Mirajane had failed in his eyes, and thus failed the exam.

"What!?" she screamed "Why?" she demanded rather than asked.

"Well you don't lack the power that's for sure but you lack the mentality, to be an S-Class Wizard you must not overlook anything including yourself...you must be aware of your own faults and be willing to keep a rational perspective on any and all situations you find yourself in...You failed that almost instantly when you blindly attacked me because of your anger at my alleged perversity when really all you had to do was prove yourself to me" lectured Jiraiya "Maybe next year you'll be more successful" smiled Jiraiya as he began to walk away.

"Wait!" called Mirajane and Jiraiya turned around and instantly became flustered as Mirajane approached him "Isn't there anything I can do to pass this year?" she asked "I promise I'll be better!" she said mischievously.

Jiraiya tried to calm himself down as he pushed Mirajane away from him "I'm afraid I cannot allow that...now let's go to Master Makarov to inform him that you've failed this year, follow me!" ordered Jiraiya, the whole time he had his head turned away from Mirajane.

"Hmph" she scoffed as they walked towards Mavis' Grave.

* * *

Tsunade and Erza were still battling it out furiously in the tunnels; the entire room was shaking violently with each strike and slash of fists against blade. In her new armour Erza had an advantage over Tsunade since she could fly but this didn't stop Tsunade from jumping and boy could she jump high.

"Moon Flash!" exclaimed Erza as she rushed passed Tsunade and slashed her in a cross pattern across her abdomen. The attack was successful and Tsunade fell to her knees.

"Impressive" coughed Tsunade and Erza smiled to herself as she heard her say that but what Tsunade said next made Erza's smile fade instantly "No one's made me remove my first limit in an incredibly long time" Erza's eyes widened in fear.

"First...limit?" she asked with a hint of panic in her voice and she turned around to see Tsunade get up off the ground and face her.

The wound was still visible but Tsunade was emitting an incredible amount of magical energy "Amazoness Rejuvenation: Level One" she said and with that an intricate pattern formed out of the jewel on her forehead and spread across her face; all her wounds vanished within an instant and her strength seemed to increase to even higher levels.

Erza did not waver even slightly, although she was incredibly out of her league here she did not back down. Tsunade continued to stare down Erza but Erza just stared back with an equally intimidating gaze.

"You pass" smiled Tsunade and with that her aura disappeared and her face returned to normal.

"I pass!?" exclaimed Erza.

"Well you pass this round...but congratulations!" smiled Tsunade as she walked over to Erza and patted her on the shoulder rather forcefully "I didn't expect you to actually do that much damage to me, made me release my first restraint and everything" laughed Tsunade "Now listen the next part of the Exam is the hardest and most challenging part of all" warned Tsunade and Erza gulped "Outside here you keep walking straight and then you come to a lake...cross this lake at all costs" warned Tsunade in a dead serious tone.

"A...lake...I'll be on my guard" said Erza awkwardly as she proceeded to head out towards to the tunnel exit.

"Well done Erza...I can't believe you're at a level where requipping armour is a simple task for you" Tsunade thought to herself as she watched Erza leave "You've grown to be strong and you could very well surpass me one day."

* * *

Naruto released a burst of spiritual energy that flowed around the entire area, desperately trying to clash with Kakashi, but the copy wizard simply jumped out of the way, narrowly dodging most of the energy blasts.

"What is this magic I wonder?" stated Kakashi as he let his eye examine the magic but it couldn't get a clear read because Naruto was attacking him once again.

Naruto closed in on Kakashi and his tails began to spin in rapid circular motion "Spiritual Fire Art: Kurenai" as Naruto said these words a series of magenta flares began to burst out of his tails and they immediately surrounded Kakashi. The spiritual fire consumed Kakashi but it did not burn his body but rather he felt a burning inside himself like his very magic or essence was being disintegrated by Naruto's attack.

"You pass" muttered Kakashi and the attack instantly ceased.

"What?" questioned Naruto as his fox aura began to disappear.

"I said you pass this round, there's nothing more I need to see from you...plus I really want to see what happens in my book next" laughed Kakashi.

"That's too easy!" exclaimed Naruto in annoyance.

"Well you've still got the hardest part of the exam to complete...cross the lake...have fun" laughed Kakashi as he took a seat on the nearby rock and began to read "Oh and Naruto" he called out. Naruto briskly turned around "Well done...you're going to make a fine S-Class Wizard."

"Thanks Kakashi!" grinned Naruto and he quickly ran out of the chamber and towards the exit of the tunnel.

"That attack...I have barely enough magic in me to copy a child's magic...what kind of powers does he posses?" Kakashi thought to himself as he heard Naruto's footsteps fade away in the distance.

* * *

Erza had now made her way out of the cave and had made her way down to the lake, it was surrounded by a large array of trees and there was a huge waterfall gushing down into it but nothing actually seemed dangerous or even remotely challenging. "Maybe Tsunade hit her head?" reasoned Erza as she placed her foot on a rock in order to cross the lake but as soon as she did she was instantly knocked back by an incredible power and she looked up to see a familiar figure emerge from the other side of the lake "Ah! It's you!" exclaimed Erza as she saw the person's face in clear light "Gildarts!"

"Hey Erza" smiled Gildarts casually "I guessed that it would be you who'd be the one to get here first and for that I applaud you...but can you finish the rest of the trial?" he questioned.

"What do I have to do?" she asked.

"That's what I wanted to hear...it's very simple, cross the lake to get past me" he instructed "I won't move or stop you once you cross over onto the land you'll be free to go to the finishing point."

Erza quickly mustered a look of courage in her eyes "Very well! I will get past you no matter what!" she exclaimed as she took flight and attempted to soar over the lake but she was quickly consumed with a golden aura and knocked back to the land.

"You didn't really think that would work did you?" he asked.

"No...Just testing your range" explained Erza.

"Very good, you've got all the qualities of an S-Class Mage, skill, power, knowledge and most of all the heart of the guild...cross the lake and you will be awarded the rank you deserve."

Erza got up from the attack and began to examine the area, the lake wasn't very wide so Gildarts could probably knock her back no matter where she went, she had to somehow find an opening and take it.

"Hey looks like I finally caught up to you Erza" said the voice of Naruto as he entered the area and broke Erza out of her train of thought.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Erza "You made it!"

"Yep looks like both of us did" smiled Naruto "Now we just have to cross the...holy shit its Gildarts run!" screamed Naruto as he saw that Gildarts was patiently standing on the other side of the lake.

"Naruto if you want S-Class you're gonna have to get past me not run the other way" corrected Gildarts "I've got to say I had a feeling it would be the two of you to make it here, let's see which of you can take the final leap."

"Naruto" said Erza and he looked at her to see that she had a mixed expression on her face, half of it was determined and half of it was sad "Will you hate me if I become S-Class and you don't?" she asked.

Naruto was taken aback by this "No way I could never hate you!" he exclaimed.

"Good" stated Erza "And I will show no resentment to you if it all goes your way."

"Well hey why does only one of us need to cross?" suggested Naruto and Erza gave him an intrigued look "If we both put our heads together I'm sure we can both cross and get to the Master together" smiled Naruto.

"Yeah cross the lake together" suggested Gildarts "It's a simple task...come on you can do it" teased Gildarts it was clear that he was stifling a bit of laughter.

"What's so funny Gildarts?" asked Naruto in an annoyed tone.

"You two...like each other!" he exclaimed and he began to laugh. Erza and Naruto immediately began to blush and look away from each other.

"He's right just grow some balls and ask her out" suggested Kurama, she had been watching Naruto silently the whole time and this was the first time she felt it was necessary to speak up.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" warned Naruto and Kurama began to laugh once more and disappeared. Naruto was now extremely flustered and decided to focus on the task at hand "Come on Erza let's cross this lake!" exclaimed Naruto and suddenly a series of Naruto and Erza clones appeared around them and charged at Gildarts but he immediately destroyed every single one of them.

"What a cheap trick" scoffed Gildarts but his jaw instantly dropped as he saw Naruto and Erza standing right next to him.

"It worked didn't it?" teased Naruto.

"But...how!?" he exclaimed with his jaw almost hitting the floor.

"Erza's really fast in that armour" explained Naruto.

"It's true I am" added Erza.

"No! No! No! That's not how this was supposed to happen, you were supposed to analyse me and find a weak spot not swarm me and pull one under my nose!" exclaimed Gildarts.

"Yeah well what can you do?" shrugged Naruto.

"Alright then go...you two work well together go onward to the Master...he's in a small cave up ahead" sighed Gildarts.

"We did it!" exclaimed Naruto as he offered Erza high five but she slowly shook her head causing Naruto to awkwardly lowered his hand.

* * *

Naruto and Erza made their way to the small cavern up ahead where they found Master Makarov sitting outside a small grave. With him were Jiraiya and a very annoyed looking Mirajane, also with him was an old woman that none of them had ever seen before as well as Hiruzen and Tonton who were tending to an injured Cana.

"Cana!" exclaimed Naruto but Makarov raised his hand to order Naruto to stay put "Is she okay?" he asked as he remained still.

"She will be fine Naruto, she just needs rest" assured Hiruzen.

"Great the two love birds make S-Class and not me" scoffed Mirajane as she walked into the cave, she didn't want to be seen at the moment.

"Well done Naruto...Erza" congratulated Jiraiya.

Makarov then cleared his throat "Naruto Namikaze...Erza Scarlet, meet one of our oldest members Elder Chiyo, she is among the few who remain from our guild's First Generation" introduced Makarov.

"Chiyo!?" exclaimed Naruto "From the story?" he asked in amazement.

"I see my legend proceeds me" smiled Chiyo as she sipped some tea "It's a pleasure to meet both of you. You've both done well to get here" she said in a friendly tone.

"Oh yeah those were Chiyo's puppets I remember now...they're annoying...man she got old" exclaimed Kurama in amazement as she looked at the elderly form of Chiyo, much more different to the one she had seen over a century ago "How is she still alive I wonder?"

Makarov then cleared his throat "Naruto, Erza" he began and the two of them began to pay strict attention to him "Both of you have endured mental and physical trials to get here and I can honestly say I did not expect two of you to make it here...before I make my decision you must endure one more trial...to ensure that both of you are as worthy as the other you must face each other in battle" declared Makarov.

"Face each other!" they exclaimed in unison.

"It was Elder Chiyo's idea" sighed Makarov "Isn't that right Elder Chiyo?" he asked as he looked over to her but she had passed out and was completely motionless "Elder Chiyo wake up and defend the decision!" exclaimed Makarov.

"Just do it!" exclaimed Chiyo without getting up "But don't hold back...a real S-Class wouldn't" lectured Chiyo, although she was partially unconscious she was still making sense.

* * *

Naruto and Erza were taken to an open area by Makarov; the others came along to watch the fight, including Kakashi, Tsunade and Gildarts. Mirajane was particularly excited to watch them beat up each other "Don't worry this will be good, we'll get to know whose on top" laughed Mirajane as she watched them stand opposite each other.

"Naruto I..." began Erza.

"Don't worry about it, let's just have fun with this and do our best" assured Naruto and Erza just smiled at him.

"I won't hold back" she assured.

"Neither will I" replied Naruto.

"Begin!" announced Makarov.

Erza instantly requipped into the Black Wing Armour and launched at Naruto slashing at him in a cross pattern like she did with Tsunade. Naruto responded to this by meeting the blade with a lightning blade that clashed furiously with Erza's metal sword, causing a few sparks to fly out in the area.

Erza instantly flew up and avoided the ricochet of the attack but Naruto simply jumped towards her and summoned a series of clones all of which had their own ball of energy that they smashed into Erza causing her to fall to the ground, shattering a lot of her amour.

"This armour" panted Erza as she got off the ground "It's had its wear for today, I don't think it can stand another fight...I will fight you with an even newer armour!" she declared.

"By all means change I want this to be a fair fight" offered Naruto.

"It won't take me long" smirked Erza as she began to bathe herself in light "Requip: Heaven's Wheel" she declared and the light around her began to grow and formed a set of large wings that symbolised that of a fairy's. The light then faded to reveal Erza standing there in a magnificent new set of armour, she had a rather revealing chest plate but it was accompanied by an extended armoured skirt for the bottom half as well as armoured wings. Naruto couldn't stop staring at her and she took that opportunity to strike "Heaven's Wheel: Circle Sword!" she exclaimed as she caused a series of swords to appear around her "Dance my blades!" she cried and the swords began to spin towards Naruto in a circle formation and impacted upon him dealing a significant blow to him.

"Well that wasn't fair" groaned Naruto as he got up from the attack.

"Battle isn't fair" reasoned Erza.

"I know" replied Naruto as he covered himself in a magenta aura and dashed towards Erza at an incredible speed "Spirit Rush!" he exclaimed as he closed in on Erza and released a burst of spiritual energy upon her that knocked her back a fair distance.

"Trinity Sword!" exclaimed Erza as she got herself up from the blast and proceeded to slash at Naruto in a Delta Formation causing his clothes to rip and reveal his muscular frame to Erza. She just stared at him with a blush spread across her face but she quickly shrugged it off and began to spread her swords out again.

Naruto removed his now torn shirt and quickly jumped up to Erza and released an aura of orange energy upon her "Kinetic Destabilisation!" he exclaimed as the aura surrounded her and caused her breastplate to come undone and reveal her chest "AHHH!" screamed Naruto as blood begun to pour out of his nose.

"Goddamnit!" exclaimed Mirajane "Is this a fight or a really bad live enactment of one of Kakashi's books?" scoffed Mirajane as she rolled her eyes.

Erza quickly put her breast plate back on "I'm sorry that wasn't supposed to do that!" exclaimed Naruto. Kurama was laughing wildly behind the scenes at the moment but Naruto was ignoring the laughter in his head.

"It's okay" replied Erza awkwardly. Makarov and the others were just looking at the "fight" with expressions of confusion on their faces.

"He's got no class with women" sighed Jiraiya.

"You're one to talk you idiot!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Boyou this is ridiculous!" stated Tonton.

"I wish I cared" said Kakashi as he sat down and began to read his novel.

"I wish I was young and perky again" sighed Chiyo.

"I thought this was supposed to decide who would win the trial...it's not going according to plan Makarov" whispered Hiruzen.

"Hmm" groaned Makarov "Stop the fight!" he declared and Naruto and Erza instantly stopped...whatever it was that they were doing "After much consideration I've decided that this fight is pointless and you've both proved yourself to be capable of earning the title of an S-Class Wizard...congratulations you both pass!" announced Makarov.

Naruto and Erza both looked at each other and smiled widely as they embraced each other. Naruto was cheering but Erza tried to remain as composed as possible.

"Thank you...can we go home now?" complained Mirajane but everyone ignored her.

* * *

Chiyo and Mavis sat on the same tree as they had done earlier that week and watched as the Fairy Tail boat departed the island headed back to Hargeon. "It was an exciting trial this year wasn't it?" stated Mavis in awe.

"It was interesting that two got promoted...and even more interesting to see that someone has bonded with the Nine Tails" added Chiyo.

"I told you her name is Kurama" corrected Mavis "And I knew that it would happen, it's only natural that our guild housed her host. Naruto Namikaze I can't wait to see what you achieve on your journey" smiled Mavis as she watched the boat disappear in the horizon.


	5. Chaos Rising

**A/N: Hey readers, so I actually managed to get this chapter out on time so I'm super glad about that. I will try to get the next one out on time as well but It might be a little delayed because of exams. So anyway, this chapter is a little different to the others because its no longer building Naruto's background as much but it is still as good and of course he is still as important. Anyway have a read and let me know what you think ttyl Juicy.**

* * *

Four years had passed since the S-Class Trial of X780, a lot had happened during the time after Naruto and Erza's promotion, some good and some bad. Naruto had grown into a much more mature and powerful wizard who was well respected and adored within the wizard world and earning the reputation of "_Fairy Tail's Unpredictable Orange Fairy_;" which was highlighted in Sorcerer's Weekly Magazine. The young boy from eight years ago was now a mere shadow of Naruto's past as he had grown with experience and, through the power of his friendships, he developed into an exceedingly powerful and exemplar wizard. With the experience gained from various battles and S-Class missions, Naruto acquired the sixth level of Kurama's magic, the energy from nature known as Natural energy. With a bit of training from Jiraiya, Naruto was able to get a good harness on the power rather easily but Kurama stated that it would be best for him to focus on the six he had acquired as it would be dangerous to attain the final three at such a quick pace, and so Naruto focused on honing his skills and ensuring that he was always improving his current level.

Erza had also grown in a similar way to Naruto, she now possessed over two thousand different types of armour, which she could afford from the S-Class missions she was constantly going on. While her determined and sometimes cold nature hadn't changed she had grown into an amazing wizard who was seen in a similar light to Naruto by the community. Sorcerer's Weekly had titled her "_Titania Queen of the Fairies_" however she seldom referred to herself as such. While Naruto and Erza continued to remain close to each other, Naruto had the lingering suspicion that there was something she was holding inside that was dragging her down, but she would never open up about it when he would confront her.

As for Natsu, Gray and Wendy, the three of them had grown into some of Fairy Tail's elite and finest wizards. While not attaining the title of S-Class they were known throughout the other guilds and wizard world. Natsu had gained the reputation of the Salamander, a fierce and destructive wizard. He also continually tried to prove himself to the S-Class wizards of the guild as he would constantly get into brawls with Naruto, Erza and Laxus but would always end up being beaten brutally.

Wendy had also grown to become skilled in her own right, with Natsu's help Wendy had trained fiercely over the four years to increase her magic power and learn a lot more about Dragon Slaying magic. She had acquired the ability to fight effectively; though she would only fight when necessary otherwise she would avoid fighting where possible. She had also learnt some more effective Sky Dragon support spells that gave her and her allies an edge in battle. Wendy had also gained her own reputation within the magical community as the Sky Maiden, she was infamous for her healing ability and being the youngest wizard in Fairy Tail who packed a fierce punch.

While Gray didn't have as much of a reputation as the others he had grown into a fine maker wizard, though his stripping habit was still very much alive. He and Natsu had a constant rivalry that had grown fiercely over the four years. They would always get into fights but if Erza was around they would quickly fake getting along to avoid a beating.

As for Happy and Carla they continued to live happily with their Dragon Slayer companions. Happy continued to remain himself and got along great with the majority of the guild. Carla's negative attitude had simmered over the years as a result of constant exposure to Fairy Tail happiness but she still remained cold towards Happy for reasons unknown. Still he never ceases to try and make her like him.

Since X780 two people had been made S-Class wizards, Mirajane and Mystogan. Mystogan was rarely seen around the guild and no one even knew what he looked like. However his power was very much respected in the guild as he had completely obliterated his S-Class trial with ease; or so the rumours suggest, there were never any certainties with Mystogan. Mystogan was said to be one of the strongest in the guild, even stronger than Naruto and Erza and on par with Laxus, though some say he is stronger.

Mirajane became S-Class the year after Naruto and Erza but she soon lost everything, including her fierce reputation as "The Demon." This happened in the year X782, just two years ago, when Lisanna Strauss died. The tragedy struck the guild with a heavy blow, they hadn't suffered a devastating loss since Minato and Kushina and it was a heavy reminder of the harsh nature of fate. Though her death hit the guild hard, it hurt even harder for her brother Elfman and sister Mirajane. Immediately after Lisanna's death Mirajane began to change, she became kinder and kinder until she was a complete reverse of her previous self. Her magic power also diminished and now she can only practice very basic magic, though she remains a part of the guild. Although the dark time passed Mirajane never reclaimed her former self.

The elite wizards of Fairy Tail, Gildarts, Tsunade and Jiraiya also went on their own respective super elite quests. Tsunade went on an SS Quest while Jiraiya went on a decade quest and Gildarts went on a century quest. The details of their journeys were unknown to the other members but they believed that they would succeed no matter where they were.

With the tragedy and hardships the guild faced over the years, it's still stronger than ever and had a very joyous and chaotic atmosphere to it. The Fairy Tail guild had been titled the strongest guild in Fiore and the guild was prospering with requests and new recruits. However the destruction caused by a lot of the wizard's earned them a red flag from the council as well as a mountain of bills that Makarov and Hiruzen had to deal with.

* * *

Kurama lay on the grass alongside the lake inside her spiritual paradise, although she couldn't roam about the outside world she was at peace inside Naruto and enjoyed the relaxation it granted her. However, Kurama still wasn't alone inside this paradise...

"So have you enjoyed watching your son grow into a strong wizard?" asked Kurama casually as she lay down.

"It's been an overwhelming joy yet a constant sadness at the same time...I've watched him grow into this amazing person...but at the same time I'm reminded that I couldn't help him or guide him" replied Kushina as she sat on the grass next to Kurama.

"You could still talk to him you know...tell him how proud you are of him" suggested Kurama.

"I can't do that to him now and it could potentially hold him back...I won't do that" said Kushina sternly.

"Fine...surely its better than sitting around here for all eternity just wasting time" stated Kurama.

"Hmm?" said Kushina sarcastically "Wasting my time? Whatever gave you that impression?"

"What are you up to?" asked Kurama curiously as she arched an eyebrow.

"Just saying I'm learning a lot from you it's interesting to hear about history...especially dragons" laughed Kushina.

"Kushina don't lie to me I've been here with you for eight whole years I think I can tell when you're lying."

"Fine I'll tell you if you put some pants on" surrendered Kushina slyly.

"I refuse!" exclaimed Kurama instantly "I'm going to sleep...good night!" she said firmly as she closed her eyes and spread herself out on the grass.

"Good night Kurama" smiled Kushina "Thank you for protecting my son" she said under her breath so that it was barely audible. She then lay down on a comfortable grassy patch and smiled to herself as she sparked a small white light in her hand...

* * *

The next day Naruto and Erza were summoned to the guild hall by a rather urgent Makarov, he said he had an important mission for the both of them and that it could not wait. Naruto arrived at the guild hall, since it was early morning there were very few people in the guild hall. "Good morning" smiled Mirajane as Naruto walked into the guild hall.

"Good morning Mira...how are you this morning?" asked Naruto as he waved and smiled at Mirajane.

"I'm very well thank you" said Mirajane as she continued to smile "Master is upstairs with Erza...she got here just before you, you better head up" informed Mirajane as she began to sweep the floor.

"Thanks Mira...I'll see you later" waved Naruto as he headed up to the second level of the guild hall. When he got up there he saw that Erza had seated herself at a table and was eating a slice of strawberry cheesecake with a cup of tea on the side. On the table next to her was Makarov waiting patiently.

"It's a bit early for that isn't it?" laughed Naruto as he headed over to Erza and sat down next to her.

"It's never too early for strawberry cake" replied Erza in a determined tone like she was about to start a battle.

Naruto laughed slightly and just smiled at Erza who started to blush slightly and turn away, Naruto loved the cute side of Erza that no one ever got to see. "If you two wouldn't mind" began Makarov as he cleared his throat "I'd like to start talking now."

"Of course Master!" they both said in unison.

"It's come to my attention that we've lost track of one of our own" began Makarov as soon as he said this Naruto and Erza leaned forward in their chairs "We received word that Tsunade cleared her SS Quest about a week ago but we haven't heard anything from her at all, we've lost complete track of her...we even have a location on Gildarts but the fact that we can't track her is cause for concern" explained Makarov.

"What do you think happened to her?" asked Erza, there was a slight hint of concern in her voice, after all her and Tsunade were always close.

"I don't know what kind of event could have occurred that could result in us losing track of someone like Tsunade, I would investigate the matter myself but Hiruzen and I have to attend a Guild Master's Conference next week" reasoned Makarov "Having said that though, I am going to entrust this task onto you two. I know I can trust you to handle this."

"Of course Master, we will take care of this!" assured Erza.

"Where are we supposed to start looking?" asked Naruto.

"The last time we heard from her, she had completed her mission and had stopped just outside the town of Konoha in the North. I suggest you start there and find out what you can" informed Makarov.

"Thank you Master, we will be on our way" said Erza as she got up from her seat. She quickly grabbed Naruto's shoulder and pulled him out of his chair rather forcefully "Come on let's go!" she ordered as she began to proceed down the stairs.

"Ow!" exclaimed Naruto "We'll get the job done Master don't worry!" exclaimed Naruto as he was dragged down the stairs. Makarov chuckled to himself slightly before he got up and headed to a nearby desk to begin doing a pile of paper work that was just sitting there in a huge stack.

Erza and Naruto had now gotten down the staircase "Erza you can stop now!" exclaimed Naruto as he squeezed himself out of Erza's iron grip, much to Erza's dismay "What was that for?" he demanded.

"I apologise" stated Erza earnestly "Sometimes I still see you as that young boy who I used to help bathe" she said bluntly.

Naruto almost fell to the floor "Okay first of all I am technically older than you by a few months and second of all don't talk about that here!" he exclaimed as he regained his balance.

"Oh come on you loved it!" laughed Kurama as she appeared alongside Naruto.

"You shush!" roared Naruto but Kurama just kept laughing.

"Guys!" called Mirajane rather cheerfully as she waved at them, Naruto and Erza turned around to see what she wanted "Make sure you take protection with you!" she cried out loud with a genuinely warm smile on her face.

Naruto and Erza began to blush furiously and Erza quickly turned her head away and hid it behind her scarlet hair. Kurama had now fallen to the floor just from laughing "What do you mean by that!?" exclaimed Naruto.

Mirajane's smile faded and she looked puzzled "I mean make sure to take extra supplies, you're going on a dangerous mission" she explained reassuringly.

"Oh of course!" sighed Naruto.

"Thank you for your concern Mirajane" stated Erza shakily as she reared her head back towards them.

"You're welcome" smiled Mirajane "What other meaning could there be to what I said" she beamed with an odd smile as she walked away and began to sweep the floor, a slight chuckling sound could be heard from her. Naruto was just relieved that there weren't many people in the guild hall to see what just happened.

"Um" stated Erza rather shakily "Let's be on our way" she ordered as she tried to regain her composure.

Naruto nodded "We've got an important job to do, let's not get sidetracked doing other stuff" suggested Naruto and Erza's face widened with shock and Naruto suddenly realised what he said "No I didn't mean that!" he exclaimed as he waved his hands around.

"Oh boy you did that one all by yourself!" laughed Kurama.

"Let's just get going" stated Erza "It's a long way to travel to Konoha Town...I think it's about four days travel...three if we move fast enough" stated Erza.

"Right let's get going!" stated Naruto with a determined expression on his face "We have to find Tsunade and bring her back to the guild!" exclaimed Naruto.

* * *

Erza and Naruto made their way to Magnolia Train Station where they boarded a train that would take them as close to Konoha Town as possible. Because the area they were travelling to was more rural than a lot of the big cities they didn't have a train station and so the prolonged journey to the town was made up of three days walking or transport by carriage. It's part of what made some SS Class Quests so long.

As Naruto and Erza sat on the train they spoke to each other, mostly about their plan for the mission but some personal matters as well. Erza also had her moments when she overheard various people talking about the destruction that Fairy Tail wizards have been causing lately, she swore that she would dish out some discipline as soon as she got back to the guild.

They soon got off at the furthest stop that the train could take them, from there it was a long journey, mostly on foot but they could afford the occasional carriage ride. Within three days they had gotten within close enough proximity to the town that they were only an hour or two walk away from arriving there.

"We should probably set up camp here, it's getting late, and we can get there tomorrow" stated Naruto as he saw the fading lights of the sun set on the horizon.

"Very well" stated Erza as she began to set up the small tent. It was a tiny triangular prism shaped tent that was a dark green colour. The two of them stared at it.

"After you" invited Naruto and Erza slowly eased her way in through the small tent entrance. Once she was in Naruto made his way in. The inside of the tent was completely different to the outside, it was large and spacious with plenty of food in stock, which Erza herself had brought along "I love these magic tents" stated Naruto as he lay down on the bed that was spread out for him.

"I must say they are a fine invention" stated Erza as she began to requip into her pyjamas and then lay down on the bed that was adjacent to Naruto "You aren't going to sleep in those clothes are you?" she asked as she looked at Naruto's casual gear.

"Oh right" he stated as he got up and began to remove his clothes and get his own pyjamas out of his baggage. Erza had turned her head away, only looking back for quick glances every now and then as Naruto finally pulled out his clothes and put them on.

"Uhh...good night" stuttered Erza as she closed her eyes.

"Good night" replied Naruto as he put his head against his pillow and dozed off. Kurama, who was obviously watching the whole time, stood in the corner shaking her head in a condescending manner as she watched the two wizards sleep peacefully before disappearing back into her own home.

* * *

They woke up the next day and immediately got ready and made their way towards Konoha Town to start searching the town for information about where Tsunade could possibly have disappeared to, or if something bad had happened to her.

However, as they got closer to the town they began to feel violent trembling in the ground and smoke could be seen rising up ahead "What's going on?" questioned Naruto as they ran towards the town and found that it was in complete and utter chaos. The civilians were running around in every direction all screaming in a crazed panic.

Erza quickly grabbed one of the citizens "What's going on!?" she demanded as she shook the male citizen violently.

"Erza calm down, he needs to be conscious to answer questions" stated Naruto as he stopped Erza from violating the man.

"Monsters!" cried the man "They want some kind of flute but we don't know what it is!" exclaimed the man through panicked squeals. Suddenly the sunlight began to diminish as a giant shadow was cast over the area.

"Um, Erza we have company" stated Naruto as he pointed to the sky, Erza looked up and saw what Naruto was looking at. Towering above them was a giant centipede like creature that had a red head and a long orange body that was elongating around the entire village. As the centipede brought its head down to attack Naruto and Erza, they lunged towards it, weapons and energy drawn out as they engaged in combat with the creature.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

Wendy, Happy and Carla got off a train in Hargeon Port Town, Wendy had a rather excited expression on her face "I can't wait to meet Igneel!" smiled Wendy "Maybe he knows where Grandeeney went" she stated as she stood on the platform.

"I don't see why a dragon would be in a town like this" stated Carla as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Aye!" exclaimed Happy but Carla just rolled her eyes.

"Well Natsu got a tip that a Salamander was in this town...there's no other Salamander other than Natsu so it could very well be Igneel" smiled Wendy "Isn't that right Natsu?" she asked as she turned around but Natsu wasn't there "Natsu?" she asked.

The train suddenly let out a large whistle as it took off in a blur, Natsu had his head stuck out the window and was groaning in pain as he attempted to escape from the transport device.

"Natsu!" exclaimed Wendy "My Troia spell must have worn off!" she exclaimed as Happy quickly flew off after the pink haired dragon slayer. Carla just continued to shake her head while Wendy pranced around in a fit of anxiety.

* * *

Naruto and Erza were both immediately knocked back by the centipede as it began to writhe around the town and destroy everything in its path. As Naruto and Erza got up from the attack they saw that on top of the centipede's head was a figure covered by a black cloak with red shapes all over it.

"It's Eisenwald and Akatsuki!" exclaimed the voices of the panicked citizens as they ran for cover in any which direction "Why are they attacking us?" some people cried.

"Dark guilds!" exclaimed Naruto.

"I've never heard of this Akatsuki...but I know that Eisenwald is an uprising dark guild, they have no master but their members are dangerous people" stated Erza. Suddenly the sound of wild trampling footsteps could be heard coming towards them. They quickly jumped out of the way as a large black rhino charged at them, it's horn was huge and stuck out with a prominent white glow; but it also had a large bolt on its forehead.

"I'll get the centipede you get that thing!" exclaimed Naruto as he jumped onto a nearby building and launched himself towards the giant centipede. As soon as Naruto disappeared, the rhino began to charge towards a cluster of nearby homes. Erza quickly jumped in front of the creature and began to glow "Requip: Adamantine Armour!" she shouted as she became equipped with a bulky silver armour set that was equipped with a large shield. She then placed the shield in front of her and created a magic barrier that immediately stopped the rhino from charging further.

She then requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armour and released a flurry of blades upon the creature, but its tough skin deflected a lot of the blades and it quickly rammed Erza with its horn and knocked her into the air.

Naruto almost got close enough to the centipede to attack it but he was immediately repelled by an unrelenting force. As Naruto was knocked back he saw that the man who was riding the creature had his arm raised, it seemed that he was the source of the repulsive force.

"I can't get close to him with physical attacks!" exclaimed Naruto "I guess I'll have to rely on some spiritual backup" he thought to himself as he began to channel a magenta aura around his body "Spiritual Wind Art: Miyabi!" exclaimed Naruto as he released a burst of wind that surrounded him. He then once again launched himself towards the centipede but this time he observed the man that was riding him, as soon as he raised his hand Naruto released the wind that was surrounding him and it immediately surrounded the man on the centipede's head and negated his magical attack before knocking him off the creature completely.

As soon as Naruto got rid of the man he immediately focused his attention on the centipede. It was still violently roaming around the town and destroying everything it came into contact with; though there wasn't much left to destroy now. Since Naruto was now on top of the creature he was in an ample position to obliterate it, he quickly placed his hand on the creatures head and began to charge a yellow glow in his hand that slowly turned into a red colour "Solar Flare!" he shouted as the red aura surged throughout the creature, incinerating it from the inside out until it exploded with a large burst of light filling the area. The explosion caused a large amount of dust to rise in the area.

Erza quickly recovered from the blow that the rhino had dealt. As soon as she regained her footing she saw the rhino charging towards a group of cornered civilians. Erza quickly requipped into her Flight Armour and chased after the rhino. She easily caught up to the rampaging creature but as soon as she came into contact with it she had swapped armour and gone into her Giant Armour. She quickly placed her hand on the creature's rear and stopped it from moving further, she then jumped over it and around to its front bringing her lance down as she did so and throwing it directly into the creature's head knocking it back a fair distance as the lance impaled itself through its body. The creature then began to let out a pained cry as it exploded into dust, all that was left of it was its horn.

Erza sighed in relief; the civilians she had rescued were cheering and shouting in joy. Suddenly a bright light filled the area and Erza saw the giant centipede explode and Naruto get launched into the air. She quickly requipped into her Black Wing Armour and soared after him. She quickly grabbed onto him and made sure he was safe before they were consumed by a large amount of dust.

* * *

Happy had managed to recover Natsu from the train and the group made their way through the town of Hargeon. They suddenly heard a group of women screaming and shouting out "Salamander! He's here!"

"Hey looks like Igneel has got himself his own fan base!" exclaimed Natsu with a bright smile.

"Natsu that seems a little strange" stated Wendy as she watched the crowd of women run in the same direction, all of them screaming and raving around like lunatics.

"Nah its fine...come on let's go see him!" exclaimed Natsu with a joyful expression on his face as he ran after the crowd of girls with Happy, Wendy and Carla following closely behind.

The group of wizards eventually came to a clearing in the centre of the town where a huge crowd of girls had gathered around and were screaming frantically and obsessively "Salamander, he's so dreamy! I love him!" they cried over and over again. Natsu immediately began to force his way through the crowd with Happy sticking tight onto his shoulder to not get lost. Wendy tried to force her way through the crowd but was overpowered by the swarm of fangirls and so she began to wail in fear.

"I don't like this! They're all crazy!" cried Wendy as she shook her head fiercely. Carla was stuck to her back and was trying to keep from falling off and getting trampled by the crowd. Suddenly Wendy felt someone grab her hand and she saw that Natsu had grabbed her.

"Come on let's go meet Igneel!" he smiled as he pulled her out of the swarm of women and headed towards the front of the crowd. "Hey Igneel!" shouted Natsu as he got to the front "It's me!" he exclaimed but as soon as he broke free from the crowd he fell onto his stomach with Wendy, Happy and Carla falling down on top of him.

Natsu looked up in a daze when he saw a relatively tall and slim man staring at him rather oddly he had short and spiky, dark blue hair and had a strange mark over his left eye. He was covered by a large, high collared cape and wore an assortment of rings on his fingers "Who the hell are you?" asked a dazed Natsu as he got himself up off the ground and dusted himself off. The crowd of women began to gasp when he asked that question.

"He doesn't look like a dragon to me" added Wendy as she got up off the ground.

"Who am I you ask?" questioned the man rather arrogantly "I am the Salamander, surely you've heard of me?" he announced. But he noticed that Natsu and Wendy had already proceeded to leave the area with their cat companions right behind them.

"Guess it wasn't him" sighed Natsu.

"Don't worry Natsu I'm sure we'll find our dragons eventually" assured Wendy "Besides I felt a strange magic coming from him" added Wendy but her eyes quickly widened as Natsu was attacked by the crowd of females.

"Natsu!" cried Wendy as she attempted to stop the women but suddenly she was surrounded by several of them who glared down upon her like vicious vultures.

"Hey little girl, why don't you appreciate our Salamander!?" they demanded menacingly.

Wendy's knees began to tremble as the women's eyes bore into her "You women should have more respect for yourself" yelled Carla but the women just continued to glare. Natsu was still being brutalised by the other women who were now threatening to rip him to shreds.

"Now, now my lovelies" called the strange man from earlier "I'm sure these poor kids didn't mean anything malicious by this, leave them alone" he ushered and the women instantly began cheering and released Natsu and Wendy from their hatred. The man then began to sign a large piece of large cardboard and then proceeded to hand it to Natsu "Here you guys can have this and brag to all your friends" he snickered.

"No thanks" replied Natsu and Wendy in a rather uninterested tone. Suddenly the women began to erupt in a violent fury again and Natsu was sent flying into a nearby set of garbage bins while Wendy was left physically unscathed.

"I guess it wasn't Igneel after all" stated Happy.

"Definitely not him" grumbled Natsu as he lifted himself out of the garbage heap.

"Hmph only an idiot would believe a dragon would come to this kind of place" scoffed Carla as she shook her head.

Wendy continued to look at the imposter Salamander and watched suspiciously "I sense a disturbing magic coming from him" she said as she eyed him cautiously.

"Well I'm sorry ladies but I must be going now" he announced and the women instantly began to cry in disappointment "Don't worry I'm having a small party on my yacht tonight and you're all invited!" he announced as he created a platform of flames beneath him and dashed off into the distance.

"Who the heck was that guy?" asked Natsu as he watched the strange man disappear into the distance.

"I don't know but he was a real creep!" said a voice from nearby. Wendy and Natsu turned to see who the person was and they saw a teenage girl with long blonde hair and brown eyes smiling warmly at them "I'm Lucy...thank you for your help" she said gratefully. Natsu and Wendy both smiled at her.

* * *

"Thanks for that" sighed Naruto as Erza lifted him to safety.

"Any time" she replied as she began to fly towards the ground. As they began to descend the dust began to settle and a bright purple glow filled the area as they saw a strange looking man pull something out of the ground beneath them. He had long black hair that was tied into a ponytail and wore a white jacket with light blue pants. The purple aura that filled the area let off a sickening feeling that both Naruto and Erza could sense.

"Hey! What are you doing!? Shouted Naruto but as soon as he shouted the words the man looked up and saw them and immediately disappeared in a shadowed blur.

As soon as Naruto and Erza landed on the ground they saw a large hole within the Earth. It emitted a strange magical aura as if something had been sealed there but whatever it was it had been removed.

"What was that?" questioned Erza as she looked around for any trace of the wizard that was there earlier.

"I don't know but whatever it was it was spewing out dark magic" stated Naruto. They then heard a strange laugh from behind them and they turned around to see the hooded figure from earlier.

"Who are you!?" demanded Erza as she pointed her sword at the man.

"You are in no position to be making demands of me Titania" replied the man casually.

"Don't threaten us you're outnumbered!" growled Naruto.

"Hahaha!" laughed the man "Do you think you have what it takes to defeat me?" he questioned.

"I did it before!"

"You fool, did you really think it was that easy?" laughed the man "I simply let you believe you had won, the whole thing was a distraction tactic to allow those incompetent fools from Eisenwald to complete the task at hand. I could kill you both right now but I have a need for you to be alive so I'll let you live for now."

Naruto was shocked by the words of the man he didn't know what to say he could only feel an intense fear spread throughout him, this man knew exactly who they were and what's more he had a reason for him to stay alive...what did he want?

"Tell us what you know!" shouted Erza, breaking Naruto out of his trance "What is Eisenwald planning?!" she demanded.

"You'll have to find that out for yourself" laughed the man.

"Why you!" exclaimed Erza as she prepared to charge at the man but he immediately raised his hand and released a burst of magical energy that knocked Naruto and Erza backwards and away from him. He then proceeded to leave the area.

Erza and Naruto slowly got up from the attack and began to rub the parts of their bodies that were aching "Are you alright?" asked Naruto.

"I'm fine" replied Erza instantly "What was that?" she questioned.

"I have no idea...but that's probably not the last we've heard of him" stated Naruto.

Suddenly Kurama appeared alongside Naruto with a panicked look on her face "Naruto!" she exclaimed "That magic pressure from before I've felt the same thing before from someone else...It's the same magic that Zeref emitted" she exclaimed in a fearful tone.

"What!?" exclaimed Naruto "Are you absolutely sure?" he asked.

"I'm positive" replied Kurama with a sincere expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" asked Erza as she saw Naruto's face turn a pale colour and a slight sweat break out on his face.

"We have a problem."

* * *

Natsu, Wendy, Happy and Carla introduced themselves to Lucy and she decided to take them all to a nearby diner for some food as a thank you. Apparently the man who claimed to be a Salamander was using some type of charm magic and their appearance broke Lucy out of the trance and practically saved her.

"I knew I sensed some type of strange force!" exclaimed Wendy as she ate a simple sandwich and avoided the food fragments that were flying everywhere as a result of Natsu and Happy's rapid food consumption.

Lucy narrowly dodged the food shrapnel awkwardly and smiled at Wendy "You must be pretty strong willed to not fall into the charm spell" said Lucy with an amazed expression on her face.

"Of course she is; Wendy is amazing" interjected Carla but Wendy just laughed awkwardly. Suddenly Happy approached Carla and offered her some of his food "I don't want it!" she snapped and his expression immediately became heartbroken. Everyone at the table looked at her oddly.

"Carla...what did we talk about" said Wendy disappointedly.

Carla sighed "I'm sorry" she said oddly "I don't want the fish...thank you" she said half heartedly. Happy just smiled at her and continued to chow down with Natsu.

"So anyway" continued Lucy "It looks like that weirdo was using a charm spell to fool all the women in town into falling for him but the strange part is that charm spells have been banned for years...how could he get his hands on them" stated Lucy.

"He probably went through a lot of dodgy markets to get his hands on that forbidden magic" scoffed Carla "disgusting!"

"Well I can't thank you guys enough for barging in when you did" beamed Lucy.

"No problem" said Natsu with a mouth full of food.

"So I know I may not look like it but I'm a wizard too, I mean I haven't joined a guild yet or anything...but there are tonnes of them all over the world and the guild I want to join is the most popular guild there is!" exclaimed Lucy as she began to rave like the fangirls from earlier. Her face had turned red and steam was practically pouring out of her nose "They're always featured in Sorcerer's Weekly. If I could convince them to let me in I think I'd just about die!" she exclaimed. Wendy, Natsu, Happy and Carla all exchanged odd looks "Sorry I guess all this wizard talk must sound like bunch of gibberish to all of you" laughed Lucy. Carla rolled her eyes and Wendy simply smiled while Natsu continued to chow down.

"You talk a lot" interjected Happy.

"I agree" scoffed Carla as she turned her head.

"She agreed with me!" exclaimed Happy as he began to jump around the table.

"Calm down!" shouted Carla and everyone began to laugh.

"Oh yeah you guys came here to find someone didn't you?" asked Lucy.

"We came here to find Igneel" stated Wendy.

"But it turned out to be some type of poser...that guy was such a moron I bet he can't even breathe fire like a real dragon!" exclaimed Natsu.

"I don't get it...your friend Igneel looks like a dragon?" questioned Lucy.

"No, no" replied Natsu "He doesn't look like a dragon he is one!" explained Natsu and Lucy's expression instantly became dumbfounded. She turned to Wendy to see if Natsu was joking but Wendy simply smiled and nodded which made Lucy even more confused.

"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Lucy "Why would a Fire Dragon just show up in the middle of Town?" she question rhetorically. She then placed some money on the table and began to proceed out of the shop "Thanks for your help, enjoy the rest of your lunch and maybe I'll see you guys around."

* * *

Naruto explained to Erza the situation that they had just gotten themselves into, it seems that the magic that was unearthed had something to do with Zeref which means that the outcome could only be catastrophic if Eisenwald's plan wasn't stopped.

Erza and Naruto went back towards where the civilians of Konoha Town were, most of the town had been demolished by the rampaging centipede and rhino but the people were mostly uninjured and some buildings still remained standing. As soon as they headed back they saw a large crowd of people standing in an open space and they instantly began cheering when they saw the two wizards emerge from the dust.

They were then approached by an elderly man "Thank you for saving our town" he said thankfully "Please accept this as a token of our gratitude" he stated as some people brought forth the large horn that had been left behind after Erza defeated the rampaging rhino. It had been decorated rather symbolically as a thank you gift from the citizens.

"Um thank you" said Erza oddly "Though I don't know how I feel accepting this considering that we only arrived here by coincidence because we were searching for someone."

"Regardless of your circumstances for being here, you saved us so we must offer our gratitude" stated the elderly man.

"Then it would be impolite to refuse this gift" said Erza as she accepted the horn.

"If we may" interjected Naruto "Have you seen a woman pass through here with two long blonde pigtails and a large uh...chest area accompanied by a talking pig in a cat suit?" questioned Naruto.

"Ah you mean Tsunade!" exclaimed the man and their faces instantly lit up "She passed through here a while ago but she's long gone now, she said she was heading home" stated the old man.

"Well I guess that means she's somehow gotten lost or side tracked on her way back" stated Naruto.

"What about the people who attacked you...what did they want? Where did they come from?" asked Erza.

"They came out of nowhere they just suddenly bombarded the town demanding to know where this thing called 'Lullaby' was but none of us knew what they were talking about and so they began tearing apart the town in search of what they were looking for" explained the old man with a solemn expression on his face.

Erza turned to Naruto "If it has something to do with Zeref then we must act immediately...we have to alert Master Makarov!" exclaimed Erza.

"I agree, although it's important for us to find Tsunade this can't wait!" exclaimed Naruto "Besides she's probably fine" he said half heartedly but Erza gave him an odd look.

"We have to get back to Magnolia at top speed!"

* * *

It was now night time in the town of Hargeon, the sky was clear and the moon and stars were shining brightly throughout the sky. Natsu, Wendy, Happy and Carla had spent the entire afternoon in the diner, though it was only Happy and Natsu that were consuming more food. The four of them were now overlooking the sea from a clear view before they would head back to the train station and make their way back home.

"Boy that sure was a big meal, I don't think I could eat for a whole year!" exclaimed Natsu as he rubbed his stomach.

"Aye!" exclaimed Happy as he sat on the stone railing and stared out into the ocean.

"Hey is that a boat out there in the harbour?" questioned Wendy as she pointed to a large boat in the horizon.

"Hmm?" questioned Happy "I wonder if that's the boat where that Salamander is having his party" he suggested.

Natsu's head suddenly began spinning at the thought of being on a boat but that immediately stopped when they overheard the conversation of some girls who were nearby. "That's the Salamander's yacht!" exclaimed one of them "I wish we could have gone to that party!"

"Yeah I would have loved to meet the great, hunky Fairy Tail wizard in person!"

At the mention of their guild name the Fairy Tail wizards instantly became shocked "He's claiming to be in Fairy Tail!" exclaimed Wendy.

"Well then" stated Natsu as he cracked his knuckles "Why don't we pay our fellow 'guild mate' a visit."

* * *

Meanwhile aboard the ship, Lucy had somehow been conned into going aboard in a false promise that she would be able to join the guild of her dreams, Fairy Tail. She was presently surrounded by a bunch of the Salamander's henchmen who had drugged the other women on the boat. His plan was to take them as slaves to the continent of Bosco which was adjacent to Fiore.

"How could you!" exclaimed Lucy as she was surrounded by the forces of the Salamander "You're going to kidnap all of these girls!" she exclaimed in disgust. The group of men just began laughing and Lucy quickly pulled out a set of keys from inside her dress, some of the keys were silver and others were gold but as soon as she pulled them out the Salamander released a burst of flames and launched them directly towards Lucy's keys, knocking them out of her hands and into his.

"So you're a celestial wizard?" he said curiously as he examined the key "Only the wizard who is contracted can use these...so they're useless to me!" he laughed as he threw the set of keys out of the window and into the ocean.

Lucy instantly began to sob as her keys were thrown out of the window "You used magic to take advantage of others! There's no way you're a Fairy Tail wizard, you're the worst wizard ever!" she cried out in disgust as she remembered the memory of meeting her first wizard from Fairy Tail, the one that saved her all those years ago, she couldn't believe that this guy was in the same guild as Naruto.

"I won't forgive you for this!" exclaimed Lucy "Fortunately I always keep this one key around my neck to remind me why I became a wizard in the first place!" exclaimed Lucy as she reached into her cleavage and pulled out a silver key with the symbol of a fox's tail on the end of it "Open Gate of the Fox Constellation: Vulpecular!" shouted Lucy and suddenly a bright magic circle appeared in front of her and out of it came a young boy with medium length, dark orange hair. He was also wearing a one piece fox costume and had a flame on his tail.

"Hahaha!" laughed the Salamander "You think you can beat me with that little squirt!" he laughed.

"Get him Vulpecular!" ordered Lucy.

"This is for the others!" exclaimed Vulpecular as he inhaled and released a large breath of flames which the Salamander immediately countered with a burst of his own flames. The flames clashed violently with each other.

"Come on Vulpecular I believe in you!" encouraged Lucy as she watched the purple and orange flames battle for dominance. Although this was a silver key it was the only offensive one that she had and it packed quite a punch.

As the flames continued to clash with each other, a large crashing sound could be heard from above and suddenly the roof caved in and in came Natsu, Wendy, Happy and Carla and none of them looked pleased at all. As soon as she landed on the boat, Wendy instantly looked like her head was swirling but she quickly managed regained her composure as a faint blue light spread around her body.

"Hey I know you guys!" exclaimed Lucy in relief as she wiped a few tears out of her face. Natsu instantly began to feel sick as his head began spinning and his stomach felt like it was doing hurdles.

"This was a bad idea" he groaned.

"I've got you Natsu!" assured Wendy as she went over to him in an attempt to ease his motion sickness but as soon as she got close to him the boat began to rock wildly and she was forcibly knocked to the other end of the room they were in.

"Wendy!" exclaimed Carla as she flew after the young dragon slayer, narrowly dodging the thugs that were swinging weapons around.

"You guys are so not cool!" exclaimed Lucy as her jaw dropped. Vulpecular was then knocked back into her as the Salamander had overpowered him "Oh no!" cried Lucy "Are you okay Vulpecular?" she asked.

"I'm fine" he reassured "Here use this" he then said as he materialised a large brick in his palm that was somewhat enflamed.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with that!?" exclaimed Lucy as she took hold of the brick.

"Hey Lucy what are you doing here?" asked Happy as he flew around the hole in the roof that they had burst through.

"Oh Happy...this guy tricked me, he said he was gonna get me into Fairy Tail!" explained Lucy with disgust "Wait...when did you have wings?" she questioned oddly.

"I'll explain later!" exclaimed Happy as he took hold of Lucy "Hold on tight!" he said as he lifted her up and took flight.

"Wait!" exclaimed Lucy "Close Gate of the Fox!" she shouted as she sent her spirit back to the celestial world "Thanks Vulpecular!"

"Any time Lucy" smiled the fox child as he disappeared in a bright light. As soon as he was gone Happy quickly took off into the distance at max speed.

The Salamander quickly reacted to the escaping Lucy "After them!" he exclaimed "We can't let them report this to the council!" Some of his henchmen then took hold of some rocket shaped items and began to soar after Lucy but a white flash quickly dashed past all of them as Wendy and Carla took flight and chased after the henchmen, leaving Natsu on board the ship alone against the Salamander and the remaining henchmen.

"Wait, what about Natsu!" exclaimed Lucy as she was taken into the sky.

"I can't carry two people...besides he'll be fine!" assured Happy.

"Umm" stated Lucy "Looks like we have company!" she said in a scared tone as she saw some of the henchmen close in on them. She then realised that she was still holding the brick that she was given earlier and quickly threw it at one of them and immediately knocked him off his magic rocket and into the ocean beneath them.

"That's one down!" exclaimed Happy.

"There's still a few more!" exclaimed Lucy but as the henchmen started to gain on them a huge burst of wind filled the area as Wendy and Carla caught up to them.

"Sky Dragon's Roar!" exclaimed Wendy as she released a burst of wind and completely threw off the remaining henchmen and sent them plummeting towards the ocean.

"Hey how'd you do that?" asked Lucy.

"I probably should have told you before but...I'm a wizard too!" smiled Wendy "Though I feel bad about sending those guys into the ocean" said Wendy sadly.

"You're a wizard?" asked Lucy.

"Yes!" answered Carla "Wendy is the Sky Dragon Slayer!" explained Carla "She uses the sky to heal and support her allies and can take down enemies with razor sharp wind" she continued.

"Sky Dragon...are you the Sky Maiden from Fairy Tail?" asked Lucy. Wendy just looked at her and smiled as she displayed her dark blue guild mark on her shoulder.

"Guys look out!" exclaimed Happy as he saw a series of massive purple flames emerge from the boat and head straight towards them.

Wendy reacted almost instantly and she quickly stretched out her arms and clapped them together "Sky Dragon's Wing Beat!" she exclaimed as she released a massive gust of wind that completely blew away the purple flame pillars.

"That's amazing!" admired Lucy but they weren't out of danger yet as they were suddenly surrounded by a massive flock of crows that began to converge upon themselves until the forms of four men appeared around the group of wizards. These men all had the exact same appearance, long black hair that was tied into a ponytail and his eyes were an onyx colour. They also had long pronounced tear-troughs under their eyes and wore an all black outfit.

"We have a problem" indicated Happy.

"No kidding" replied Lucy.

"No I mean my transformation's ended!" exclaimed Happy.

"What!?" shrieked Lucy and as soon as she did Happy's wings disappeared and the two of them plummeted towards the ocean, leaving just Wendy and Carla against the strange man.

"You should not be here Fairy Tail...this is a council matter, you've ruined everything!" exclaimed the man.

"The Council?" asked Wendy "We just happened to come on in by coincidence we didn't mean to intervene in your plan!" reasoned Wendy.

"Regardless of your circumstances...the damage has been done" said the man in a casual yet bone chilling tone "Now be gone!" he said instantly turning the four of him into a flock of crows that swarmed in upon Wendy and Carla, causing them to fall to the ocean from the overwhelming swarm.

When they reached the watery depths they looked up to see that the crows had already disappeared "That's impossible...how could they have disappeared that quickly!" exclaimed Carla.

Suddenly the water next to them began to ripple as Lucy and Happy shot up out of the water, in her hands Lucy was carrying a set of keys; she had managed to recover her Gate Keys. "Glad to see you're okay" smiled Wendy.

"Yeah so I am" panted Lucy as she regained her breath.

"Aye!" interjected a breathless Happy.

Lucy then set her sights on the boat in the distance and began to fumble through her set of keys "We need to bring that boat to the shore and I know exactly how to do it!"

"How?" asked a curious Wendy.

"You'll see" stated Lucy confidently as she pulled out one of her gold keys and began to point it outwards "Open Gate of the Water Bearer: Aquarius!" shouted Lucy and suddenly a bright light emerged from the key and the water rose up as a mermaid came soaring out of the water, carrying an urn filled with water. She then slowly came down and hovered just above the water.

"What do you want?" she immediately asked in an unimpressed tone.

"A fish!" exclaimed Happy as his mouth began to water.

"A rude fish" mumbled Wendy.

"That's interesting magic" added Carla.

"That's the power of a celestial wizard, whenever I use my gate keys I can summon spirits from the Celestial World to help me" explained Lucy, she then turned her attention back to her spirit who was looking at her impatiently "Listen up Aquarius, I need you to use your power to bring that ship to the shore!" ordered Lucy as she pointed to the boat in the distance. Aquarius immediately rolled her eyes and scoffed "You're supposed to come from the spirit world to help not to give me attitude!" shouted Lucy but Aquarius' gaze just became more enraged.

"Don't make her angry Lucy she's scary!" wailed Wendy.

"Listen here little girl...the next time you drop my key you're dead!" hissed Aquarius.

"It won't happen again" assured Lucy in a high pitched tone. Aquarius then began to swirl her urn around causing the water around her to begin rising intensely. She then brought it down with an angry glare on her face and caused the water to begin rising violently as a tidal wave formed in the distance and started to force the boat towards the shoreline.

"It worked!" exclaimed Happy but they suddenly realised their predicament as the wave began to soar ferociously above them and came crashing down upon them and consumed them all in its unloving embrace. Aquarius just laughed wildly as she saw Lucy get consumed by the wave.

"Don't wash me away with it!" shrieked Lucy but this was mostly drowned out by Wendy's screams of terror as they were violently dragged to the shore.

It wasn't long before the wave violently collided against the shore, the boat was practically tossed upside down and was severely damaged. Lucy, Wendy, Happy and Carla all lay sprawled out on the shore, Wendy was in a complete daze and Lucy was just staring at Aquarius with a furious look "What's the big deal? Think you could try and not wash me away with the ship!"

"Oh that was an accident I didn't mean to get the ship" snickered Aquarius.

"Hey! That means you were trying to get me!" shouted Lucy.

Carla then suddenly pulled her head out the sand, it had been lodged in there when they crashed against the shore "Hey fish lady!" she began yelling and Aquarius just looked at her with an amused yet malicious expression on her face "What's your problem?" hissed Carla "You'd think a celestial spirit would be more loyal but you're just an old, bitter witch aren't you!"

Aquarius' smile quickly faded and she slowly leaned in towards Carla glared at her "Look little kitty, don't think that tone is going to go down well with me! I'll chop you up into little pieces!" hissed Aquarius and Carla quickly began to scream "Oh and with that tone it's no wonder you don't have a boyfriend yet...you should think about that" laughed Aquarius.

"Boyfriend?" questioned Carla in a horrified tone.

"Aye!" interjected Happy.

"Oh that reminds me...Lucy don't call me for a while, I'm going on a vacation with my boyfriend and he's hot" laughed Aquarius as she began to disappear back to the spirit world.

"You don't have to rub it in!" hissed Lucy.

"Lucy don't worry if the fish lady gives you any more problems I'll just eat her...that will teach her!" assured Happy.

Lucy instantly slapped her hand against her face "I don't think I can handle much more of this stupid cat" she groaned.

They were then interrupted by a large exploding sound in the distance as a huge pillar of flames began to rise from the boat wreckage that had been washed onto the shore "Natsu!" exclaimed Wendy and she quickly got up and began to run towards the boat, the others were following her closely.

When they got there they saw that Natsu was standing on top of the boat with the Salamander and his remaining henchmen glaring at him from below "So you claim to be a Fairy Tail wizard?" asked Natsu angrily.

"What's it to you?" laughed the Salamander.

"Because I'm Natsu of Fairy Tail...and I've never seen you before!" growled Natsu as he launched himself at the false Salamander, exposing his own guild mark as he did so.

"Uh-oh...he's the real deal Bora!" exclaimed one of the henchmen.

"Don't call me that you fool!" hissed the man who was actually called Bora.

"So Natsu's in Fairy Tail too!" exclaimed Lucy in awe as she watched Natsu make quick word of Bora's henchmen.

"Yep he's the Fire Dragon Slayer of Fairy Tail...a true Salamander" stated Happy.

"Salamander" said Lucy in awe as she watched Natsu begin to engage in direct combat with Bora, she then turned to Wendy "Shouldn't you help him?" she asked.

"I wouldn't want to get in the way of his fun" laughed Wendy as they watched Natsu barely lift a finger as he made quick work of Bora...though half the town suffered in the fight.

After the fight Natsu came over to them with a wicked grin on his face "I knew that guy was a fake...how dare he bring disgrace to our guild like that."

"Well done Natsu" congratulated Wendy.

"Aye sir! You did a great job!" added Happy encouragingly.

"Yeah but...you obliterated this poor town!" exclaimed Carla in shock as she looked at the smoke rising in the distance.

"I knew Fairy Tail would never do anything so horrible" stated Lucy in relief as she interrupted their conversation "Say...do you guys know a guy named Naruto...he's in your guild?" asked Lucy.

Wendy and Natsu exchanged quick glances "Of course we know him, he's one of our strongest members!" exclaimed Natsu "and our friend."

"Haven't you ever heard of Fairy Tail's Unpredictable Orange Fairy?" asked Wendy "He's a shining star in our guild, he's the host of a legendary and ancient power!"

"No way!" exclaimed Lucy "That Naruto is the host of the Nine Tails!" shrieked Lucy as she imagined how scary and powerful Naruto must be like now.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Natsu "He's a great guy though, he went on a mission with another of our elites a few days ago" stated Natsu but before their conversation could continue the sound of marching footsteps could be heard as the army began to march towards them...apparently the severe destruction to Hargeon had set up a warning signal.

"The army?" questioned Lucy before she was quickly grabbed by Natsu and dragged away as he and Wendy ran off at top speed with Carla and Happy flying behind them.

"We gotta get out of here!" exclaimed Natsu in fear.

"Where are you taking me!?" demanded Lucy as she was flung around like a rag doll.

"Well you said you wanted to join the Fairy Tail guild right?" questioned Natsu and Lucy just looked at him with a huge smile on her face "So let's go!" She quickly looked at Wendy to make sure that he wasn't tricking her but she just nodded sincerely and the group of them began to run from the army together. As they ran Lucy had a huge grin on her face.

From the distance perched above a rooftop, the man from earlier watched as the wizards ran from the army "Fairy Tail" he mused to himself "How interesting" he thought. Suddenly his communication lacrima started to make sounds and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket "Hello?" he asked.

"Itachi...we have a new mission for you, a top secret council mission" stated the voice, Itachi's gaze narrowed as he payed attention to what his new orders were.

* * *

Lucy was quickly made welcome into the Fairy Tail guild, upon entering the guild hall she witnessed how lively and crazy the place was. She got over the initial craziness and easily adapted to the guild and made friends rather quickly and there was never a dull moment in the guild. She really felt the spirit of the guild when Makarov delivered a speech upon her arrival that was truly moving and inspirational.

On her first day she and Natsu recovered one of the veterans, Macao, from Mount Hakobe where he had gone astray on a mission. There they had an encounter with a Vulcan and Lucy tried to fight but Natsu finished the job easily.

Lucy and Natsu then formed a team and went on an undercover mission in the mansion of Duke Everlue where they were supposed to destroy a book called Daybreak. But upon completing the mission they found that they couldn't actually destroy the book because of the sentimentality that was left in it for the writer's son, though unbeknownst to him. That's where Lucy felt the true rewards of being a wizard and helping people.

It had now been a few days since Lucy joined the guild though it felt like it was much longer than that. Lucy was now looking at the request board to see if there were any jobs she could take, she had just had a weird encounter with the resident playboy Loke that left Lucy very confused. As she continued to look at the request board she heard the doors burst open "Everyone get ready they're back...its Erza and Naruto!" exclaimed Loke as he ran back into the guild hall in a panic which quickly spread to the other guild members as they began to tidy up and look like they were working hard...except Mirajane, she wasn't fazed by their return at all, she just smiled.

"Naruto?" questioned Lucy as she looked at the guild doors waiting for him to come in.

* * *

Naruto and Erza walked briskly through the town of Magnolia and headed directly towards their guild hall. Their initial mission had been cut short by the fact that a dark guild was now actively using dark magic for some sort of purpose.

As they walked through the town everyone stared at them, but that was probably due to the fact that Erza was carrying a horn over her head "I can't believe all those stories I heard about the guild on the way back...what are they doing?" she yelled as they walked through the town.

"Erza...calm down, we have a much bigger problem at hand" stated Naruto.

"That's right, any magic of Zeref's is no joke!" warned Kurama and Naruto nodded at her.

"Still that doesn't mean I can't dish out a few warnings and critiques when we arrive" stated Erza and Naruto just sighed.

"So we've agreed who we're going to take with us right?" asked Naruto and Erza just nodded at him "Natsu, Gray and Wendy...they'll be strong enough" stated Naruto.

They soon arrived at the guild hall and everyone was dead silent as they walked in, Erza quickly dropped her horn on the floor with a large thud "We have returned" she announced "Where is Master Makarov?" she asked.

"Welcome back Erza, Naruto" smiled Mirajane "Were you safe on your journey?" she asked them casually.

"We were fine!" snapped Naruto almost instantly.

"That's good" smiled Mirajane "The Master is at a conference right now so he's not here at the moment, Hiruzen is with him too" added Mirajane.

"I see" stated Erza.

"So what's that thing you have their Erza?" asked someone from the guild.

"It's the horn of a monster that I defeated, the locals were so thankful that they decorated it and offered it to me as a thank you...do you have a problem with it!?" she demanded.

"NO!" he responded quickly and fearfully.

"Erza relax" whispered Naruto.

"Shh" whispered Erza as she placed her palm forcefully over his mouth. She then turned her attention to the guild "Now listen up! On our way here we heard some things, apparently Fairy Tail has been causing nothing but trouble...the Master may not care but I certainly won't be having any of it!" she barked, everyone began to tremble and gasp.

"Cana!" she began and Naruto just rolled his eyes "You need to start controlling your drinking!" she ordered, Cana quickly put down the barrel of beer that she was drinking and just stared into space fearfully.

"Vegeta please take the dancing outside, Wakaba get rid of that filthy habit, Nab I suspected I would find you dawdling at the request board...just pick a job! Sakura for the love of god just practice some magic, anything will do! Macao...I don't even know where to start" she sighed as she concluded her first round of criticisms, she still had her palm over Naruto's mouth as she dished out the insults, but he finally managed to break free.

"Erza's a little tired everyone...we ran out of cake!" he explained and everyone quickly gasped but she just ignored them and continued her ranting.

"She's really tearing into everyone" whispered Lucy.

"That's Erza for you!" interjected Happy.

"Still Naruto is just as cool and nice as always" stated Lucy as she looked at him with a smile on her face.

"Do you like him?" asked Mirajane.

"I do not!" snapped Lucy.

"So are Natsu, Gray and Wendy here?" asked Erza.

"Yeah they're right over there by the counter " stated Carla as she walked past the two S-Class Wizards and over to Wendy. Gray and Natsu had their arms around each other like they were best buddies, though they were just fighting a moment ago.

"Hey there Erza, we're just hanging out like good friends do" stammered Gray.

"Good I'm glad to see the two of you getting along" smiled Erza, Naruto just held back from laughing.

Naruto quickly edged over to Wendy "I trust that you've been keeping them in line?" he whispered to her as he patted her on the head.

"Yeah...but their fear of Erza is more powerful than I'll ever be" laughed Wendy.

"Good" laughed Naruto he then turned around to face Natsu and Gray "Natsu, Gray...Wendy we need your help" he said, immediately getting straight to the point.

The three of them looked stunned, never before had Erza or Naruto asked for help from the three of them at once "While we were travelling we encountered something that was definitely a cause for concern" stated Naruto.

"The three of you are the strongest wizards here...we could really use your help" added Erza. The wizards among them began to gasp at what was happening before them, it had never happened before and it was absolutely amazing to them.

"We'll meet at the train station tomorrow...but do not be late!" indicated Erza.

"Natsu and I?" questioned Gray.

"Me and him?" thought Natsu.

"ON THE SAME TEAM!?"

"They're going to drive me crazy" thought Wendy to herself "But did they just call me...the strongest?" she wondered in amazement.

"Erza, Naruto, Natsu, Gray and Wendy, this could be...the strongest team Fairy Tail has ever seen!" exclaimed Mirajane and Lucy's jaw just widened in amazement at what had just transpired.


	6. The Fairies, The Fox and The Demon

**A/N: So here it is the Lullaby Arc! I know I said that my chapters might be delayed but so far I've been managing to balance writing and studying very well so the chapters haven't really been delayed which is really good. Next week I have the same warning but it is the final week of exams so after that there is nothing to worry about except that there is a good chance the next chapter will be a day or so late because next week is a lot more full on for me.**

**About the chapter I must say that I enjoyed writing and planning it but out of all the arcs I've planned so far this one was the most challenging. I've aimed to change the arcs in a more exciting way with a similar outcome out the end but the Lullaby arc was the most challenging because there is not much that can be done with it and its a very quick arc. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy it sorry for ranting and I'll catch you guys later. Ttyl Juicy.**

* * *

After Erza and Naruto formed their team of wizards the guild hall slowly removed itself from a state of shock and everyone managed to return to their normal activities or conversations. Natsu and Gray were still stunned and decided to leave the guild hall and prepare themselves for their mission tomorrow. Erza had also left to put away her new toy and also refresh her supplies for the next day; she always took a large amount of luggage wherever she went. Wendy and Naruto both remained at the guild hall for the time being, they both took a seat at the counter and began to discuss what this big problem was that they needed help with.

"Naruto...what's going on?" asked Wendy in a concerned manner.

"You can't just come in and say stuff like that without offering an explanation!" exclaimed Carla as she jumped up onto the counter.

"Okay I'll tell you, but keep quiet I don't want to scare some of the other members!" exclaimed Naruto in a hushed tone. Wendy gulped at the seriousness of Naruto's tone and the potential danger of what she had been brought into "On our mission to recover Tsunade we got sidetracked saving a village from a bunch of dark wizards" began Naruto "It was the dark guild Eisenwald and some other guild called Akatsuki and they unearthed something...something dangerous called Lullaby. We don't know what it is or what it does or even what it looks like but it radiated an intense aura of dark magic" explained Naruto, he left the part out about Zeref since he didn't want to scare Wendy after all she was still a young girl.

Wendy was shaking slightly "So we're up against a dark guild?" she asked "How are we supposed to find them?"

"We've heard that some of their members are in a town not too far from here, we're going to strike there first" explained Naruto. The two of them were so quiet but their whispers were intense.

Suddenly Mirajane popped her head next to them "I've heard that Eisenwald used to be an official guild but they were disbanded years ago because they kept taking on assassination requests. They're master was arrested but they refused to disband and kept taking on missions, what's worse is they have an infamous figure among them who only takes assassination requests, the Shinigami Erigor" she interjected.

"That's scary!" stated Wendy fearfully.

"You sure know a lot Mira" said Naruto admirably and Mirajane just smiled "Do you know anything about Lullaby that we could use?" he asked.

Mirajane thought for a moment "I'm sorry I've never heard of something called Lullaby before" she answered. Naruto thought for a moment, if it had something to do with Zeref then it could only mean it spells trouble, but they needed to figure out what it did.

"Hey Kurama!" called Naruto inside his head and the fox woman quickly appeared beside him.

"What?" she asked, she had been listening to their conversation the entire time.

"This Lullaby, what do you know about it?" he asked.

"Well I already told you that the magic aura was exactly like Zeref's but when I heard the name Lullaby I was definitely sure it was his magic. I remember the name but I can't seem to recall what it is."

"How can you not remember something this important? Aren't you like a thousand years old!?" exclaimed Naruto.

"I am four hundred thank you very much! How dare you!" hissed Kurama "And for your information when you're that old it's hard to remember absolutely everything that you have seen in your existence!"

"I wouldn't know about that" said Naruto with a smirk. Kurama rolled her eyes and disappeared in a blur. Naruto continued to converse with Wendy telling her to prepare herself the following day and Mirajane would offer her voice every now and again. As they continued to talk they were approached by Lucy who had been waiting to talk to Naruto all afternoon.

"Um...hey there" smiled a nervous Lucy as she approached Naruto. He turned around to see who was speaking to him when he saw the familiar face of Lucy, her blonde hairstyle and sweet face seemed familiar to him but then a light bulb instantly lit up in his head.

"Lucy?" questioned Naruto as he got out of his seat; Lucy smiled warmly and nodded her head "Wow! You finally made it as a wizard I see!" exclaimed Naruto as he got out of his seat and hugged his old acquaintance.

"You told me to follow my dreams and I did" smiled Lucy as she shook some of the gate keys on her waist.

Naruto looked down and saw the arrangement of silver and gold keys "Impressive, three zodiac gates I see" he smiled.

"Yep but I always keep a special key close to my heart" smiled Lucy as she pointed to the necklace around her neck that was holding the gate key that Naruto gave her. Naruto looked at the necklace and traced it down until he was eyeing Lucy's chest. He instantly looked away and blushed slightly.

"What key is that?" he asked.

"The one you gave me of course!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Naruto I didn't know that you had met Lucy before" observed Wendy.

"Yeah I didn't know either" added Mirajane "How did you meet?"

Naruto re-took his seat and invited Lucy to join them which she did "I rescued her from a rampaging carriage eight years ago when she was trying to run away from home" he explained bluntly. Lucy's jaw hit the counter at the bluntness of the story.

"Why were you running away from home?" asked an interested Wendy.

Lucy quickly let off an uncomfortable vibe after being asked that question "Oh you know it's just some of the silly things kids do" she said with an awkward laugh "I mean I don't do that anymore" she added.

"Hmm?" pondered Mirajane causing the three wizards and cat to turn their attention towards her "Since Lucy is still a new wizard maybe she should go with you guys on your quest tomorrow. She'll gain some experience and she can help Wendy keep Natsu and Gray from killing each other when Erza doesn't have her eye on them" she suggested with a smile.

"How am I supposed to keep them from killing each other?" asked Wendy, she was shocked that the responsibility had been placed on her to keep her older friends in line, she would surely be over powered by their brute, masculine force.

"Just keep them occupied" said Mirajane as she waved her hand dismissively causing Wendy to begin panicking.

"I wouldn't mind going along" stated Lucy with a grin "I've been on some difficult missions already so this might be good" she assured, although the truth was that she was a little frightened to go on this mission it sounded far too dangerous and she wasn't sure if she was ready for it; but she wanted to make a good impression on Naruto and Erza.

"Sure we could use the extra support and I'm sure Erza would also appreciate it" stated Naruto.

"Naruto knows all about what Erza appreciates" said Mirajane with a slight snicker, Lucy and Wendy's eyes instantly widened in horror.

"What does that mean!?" exclaimed Naruto.

"I just meant that you know her very well because you're so close" replied Mirajane with an innocent expression on her face "What other meaning is there?" she said with a smile. Naruto narrowed his eyes and groaned.

"That one cracks me up!" laughed the voice of Kurama throughout his head "I like her!" Naruto quickly dismissed Mirajane's comment and continued on conversing with his friends. They continued to talk for a good half an hour when they heard a distinct rumbling outside and the sound of Natsu and Gray yelling at each other. Naruto immediately rushed outside to see what was happening this time. When he got out he found the two wizards beating each other up, though they weren't using their magic they were still causing damage to their surroundings.

"Why should I have to be on a team with you!" shouted Natsu as he planted his fist into Gray's face "Just tell Erza you can't come!"

"Why should I be the one to leave you idiot!" roared Gray as he returned Natsu's punch with his own fist to the other's abdomen "Just tell her you don't want to be on a team with me and then don't come...we don't even need you anyway!" roared Gray.

Naruto watched as the two continued to beat each other up, he shook his head disappointedly. He was shortly joined by Wendy, Carla and Lucy who just gasped when they saw what was happening "You want me to stop that?" questioned Wendy "I'm gonna get killed on this mission" she cried.

"Don't worry Wendy you'll be fine" assured Carla as she began to pat Wendy on the back.

Naruto immediately began to walk over to the fighting boys and quickly placed his hands in between them and separated them forcefully "That's enough!" he said but the two of them were still trying to get past him and go at each other "I said that's enough!" roared Naruto as he channelled Kurama's energy and became surrounded with the fox cloak in order to scare the two of them into submission.

"Sorry sir!" they began to scream as they cowered in front of Naruto.

"Good" stated Naruto casually "Now let's have a talk just the three of us" said Naruto as he ushered for Natsu and Gray to take a seat on the nearby grass patch. They both obeyed him and took a seat on the grassy floor but sat separate from each other with their arms folded and their heads turned in the opposite direction from the other.

Naruto turned around to Lucy and Wendy "Sorry but I'm going to have to deal with these two but I'll see you both tomorrow at the train station" smiled Naruto. The two of them nodded before they made their way off to get ready for the mission.

Naruto then turned back to Gray and Natsu who were still acting like children, he sighed and then sat between them "Guys I need you to listen to what I'm about to say" began Naruto causing Gray and Natsu to slowly turn their heads and face him; and by extension each other "Tomorrow's mission is an important one and obviously Erza and I have put our faith in you and your strength. Now I know you two will always have your differences and bicker but I need you to be ready for this quest tomorrow and try not to beat each other up during it. You're both very skilled wizards and I believe that you'll go far so just put your issues aside and get ready because our enemy is a dark guild and they posses something that's really dangerous so if we stuff up people could die and we're Fairy Tail so we don't let that happen!"

Gray scratched the back of his head before he cleared his throat and spoke up "Sorry Naruto, Natsu and I will be fine tomorrow, you can count on us!" assured Gray.

"Yeah" added Natsu "No way are we going to let some stupid dark guild win against us, like you said we're Fairy Tail!" exclaimed Natsu with a passionate voice.

"Glad to hear it...I don't want Erza to have to beat you boys up" laughed Naruto. Gray and Natsu quickly turned pale at the thought of Erza's wrath coming down upon them.

"We'll be good!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Good" laughed Naruto as he fist bumped the two of them "Now come on let's get going we have to be up early and ready in the morning" stated Naruto. As soon as he got up he saw that Mirajane was standing behind them with something in her hands for the three of them. Natsu and Gray got up to see what she had to give them.

"Oh?" questioned Mirajane as Gray got up, she gave him an odd look as she scanned him up and down "Naruto what did you do to Gray's pants?" she asked casually.

Naruto quickly looked to his side to see that Gray had somehow taken off his pants in the process of getting off the ground "That was not me!" exclaimed Naruto but Mirajane just giggled.

"See taking your pants off is completely normal!" exclaimed Kurama as she appeared alongside Naruto again "By the way beautiful speech earlier, touched my heart" she said with a fake catch in her throat.

"It's not normal, it's contagious is what it is. Look what you did to Gray!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Hey that's not my fault! Besides he was like that before we met!" pouted Kurama as she scoffed and once again returned to her spiritual world.

Naruto dismissed her and returned his attention to Mirajane who was holding three keys in her hands "Here these are for you guys" she said as she handed a key to each of them "They're keys to Lucy's house" she said and their jaws instantly dropped.

* * *

The next day the group of wizards all gathered at Magnolia Train Station in the morning. While everyone was waiting for the train to depart Lucy and Erza became acquainted with each other while Wendy awkwardly tried to maintain the peace between Natsu and Gray, though it seemed that Naruto's speech was effective in ensuring that the two of them would behave though it didn't stop them from occasionally insulting the other. As they all waited patiently for the train Natsu quickly spoke up in a heated passion "Hey Naruto!" he exclaimed causing everyone to turn their attention to him "When we get back from this mission I want to fight you, a rematch from last time!" announced Natsu.

"Are you crazy!?" exclaimed Gray.

"Oh?" questioned Naruto "You want to test your strength against me? No problem, I accept your challenge but I'm not going to go easy on you!" laughed Naruto.

"Don't worry I won't need you to go easy, I've gotten a lot stronger since last time!" said Natsu confidently.

"Yeah I can tell you have...but are you strong enough to beat me? I guess we'll just have to find out" smirked Naruto.

Shortly after they all boarded the train that would take them to Onibas Station where it was rumoured that Eisenwald thugs had been lurking around lately; the plan was to capture and interrogate them about their evil plan. As soon as the train began to move Natsu instantly began to swirl around in a sickly motion as his motion sickness kicked in. Wendy looked a little squeamish at first but this look faded as soon as it appeared and Wendy was back to normal. "Oh?" she questioned as she looked at the nearly passed out Natsu who was next to her "I better cast Troia on him" said Wendy as she raised her hands out to Natsu's temples.

"No" stated Erza and Wendy instantly retracted her hands and gave Erza a confused look "I want you to reserve your magic, Natsu will be fine just come sit next to me" offered Erza warmly. Natsu weakly nodded his head before he trudged over to Erza and put his head on her lap, she quickly punched him and knocked him out cold "That should make our trip a little more comfortable" she stated bluntly.

"I could've just cast the spell to avoid all this" mumbled Wendy in disappointment as she stared at the unconscious Natsu. Lucy's jaw had dropped as she was in complete amazement at Erza's attitude.

"So Wendy that Troia spell is another one of your Sky Dragon Spells?" asked Lucy trying to change the mood in the train.

"Yeah it's a spell that restores equilibrium so it's perfect for easing motion sickness" explained Wendy.

"I see" smiled Lucy "So what magic do you practice Erza?" asked Lucy.

"Erza's magic is really pretty she makes people bleed!" exclaimed Happy in awe and Lucy quickly began to turn pale.

"Personally I think Gray's magic is a lot more beautiful than mine" stated Erza "But you're a celestial wizard right Lucy?" asked Erza.

"Yeah that's right, I actually have three of the zodiac gates and it's my dream to collect all twelve one day" smiled Lucy proudly.

"I'm sure you'll get them one day" stated Naruto "After all you're the wizard who took out a rampaging Vulcan with her little finger, I'm sure you can get those zodiac keys" stated Naruto.

"Oh?" questioned Erza "That's impressive, who told you that?"

"Someone at the guild told me when we got back yesterday, but you had already gone home" stated Naruto.

"Well nevertheless I think you will be a great help to our mission" beamed Erza.

"That's not exactly what happened" stuttered Lucy but Naruto just winked at her and Lucy began to freak out, she wasn't sure what she was expected to do on this mission but it seemed like there was a lot of pressure on her to be amazing now.

"So" interrupted Gray "Are you going to tell us why you have recruited us? It's obviously not a simple mission we're going on."

Erza and Naruto nodded and they began to explain the details of the mission to their fellow wizards; though Wendy was already aware of the main objective of the mission. They explained how they were going to take down a dark guild known as Eisenwald as they had unsealed some form of dangerous magic and planned to use it for some evil goal. They had brought the group of them along as back up since it was an entire dark guild they were going against and they were in possession of a dangerous magic; most of their knowledge about the magic was limited, only that it was a dark magic known as Lullaby that shared a connection to the dark mage Zeref.

"Zeref?" questioned Lucy as Erza and Naruto finished explaining their mission to them.

"Yes, the dark mage who lived centuries ago, it seems he left some of his legacy behind and that legacy has just resurfaced" replied Erza.

Lucy quickly began to shake in fear as she started shining with sweat "I don't think I'm cut out for this, maybe I should just go home" she suggested fearfully.

"You're slimy Lucy" observed Happy.

"It's sweat!" she snapped back instantly.

"You're getting it everywhere" scoffed Carla as she flew away from Lucy.

"Don't worry Lucy you'll be fine" stated Naruto and Lucy gave him a questioning glance "You're strong and you've got us with you so you've got nothing to worry about...right Erza?" asked Naruto and Erza just nodded her head in agreement.

"Alright, if you say so" she said half heartedly as she offered a weak smile.

* * *

After a quick pit stop to get some food and re-fuel the train engine, the Fairy Tail wizards arrived at Onibas Station where Lucy was still torn between running back to the guild or staying with everyone and helping them out as much as she could. As they began to make their way out of the station they quickly noticed that Natsu was not among them as they heard a distinct wailing noise echo out of the train departing from the station.

"Looks like we left him on the train" stated Naruto as they looked out into the distance.

"This is my fault!" exclaimed Erza as she punched a nearby metal pole causing a large bang to sound out in the area "I knew that Natsu hated all forms of transportation, one of you must come and hit me for my penance!"

Lucy looked at the others with a confused look but they all shook their heads telling her not to follow through with Erza's demand. "If you hit her she will retaliate even if she told you to do it" whispered Naruto into Lucy's ear. Lucy just gulped in fear.

"Why don't you tell Lucy about all the times it happened to you?" asked Kurama as she appeared next to Naruto in her spirit form. Naruto just shook his head fearfully as he recalled the painful memories. Kurama just giggled but she then displayed a rather serious expression "You have to go get Natsu quickly!" she stated "You can't afford to waste any time this is Zeref's magic you're dealing with" said Kurama. Naruto could tell that she was very serious and somewhat scared of what could happen. He nodded to her reassuringly.

Naruto quickly acted and went to secure a Magic Four Wheeler that they could use to chase after the train and recover Natsu. Meanwhile, Erza barged right into the train conductor's office and pulled the emergency leaver in order to stop the train and buy them some time to catch up to Natsu; though the train workers were not happy at all.

They quickly regrouped and got into the car with Erza as the driver, though Naruto intended for him to drive it she insisted and he decided not to argue with her. They drove at a dangerously high speed, since the car functioned off the driver's magic it was dangerous for Erza to be driving at such a high speed as it would consume her magic power.

They began to close in on the train but they could see that it had started to move slightly. Erza picked up the speed as they got closer to a carriage that looked like it had been severely damaged. As they drove near it Lucy called out to Natsu who had his head stuck out of the carriage as he jumped towards the magic four wheeler crashing directly into Gray who was sitting on top of the car. The train then began to take off into the distance, continuing on its route.

Erza quickly stopped the car and everyone got out to see Natsu and Gray lying on the floor on top of each other "Get off me you idiot!" exclaimed Gray as he forcefully pushed Natsu off of him.

"Shut up you icy freak!" shouted Natsu as he got himself off the ground "How come you guys left me on the train!?" he demanded furiously.

"It was an accident but I'm just thankful nothing bad happened to you" stated Erza with relief as she banged Natsu's head against her metal plate.

"Yeah I'm fine" stated Natsu as he freed himself from Erza's iron grip "I mean I did get attacked by a weirdo from Eisenwald on the train but other than that I'm fine." As soon as Natsu said these words Erza instantly struck him across the face with a loud slap.

"You fool!" exclaimed Erza "That's who we're after. Naruto and I explained everything on the train you should listen when people are talking to you!" she shouted with fury as she towered over him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about this is the first I've heard of it!" pleaded Natsu.

Naruto shook his head while Gray placed his hand over his face and Lucy and Wendy just stared at the scene with confused and amazed expressions "She already forgot she knocked him out didn't she?" questioned Lucy.

"That's Erza for you" the others stated in unison.

"Erza this is a good thing" reasoned Naruto and the scarlet warrior gave him a curious glance "Now that we know he was on the train all we have to do is follow it and we'll find him. It beats searching aimlessly around a town for the whole day...Natsu what did he look like?" explained Naruto as he asked Natsu the question.

"Well he looked like an ordinary wizard, you wouldn't pick him to be in a dark guild...although he did have a weird wooden flute it had a skull but with three eyes on it" explained Natsu.

"A three eyed skull?" questioned Lucy and the group gave her a curious look as she began to recall something in her head.

"What is it?" asked Wendy.

"Is something wrong Lucy?" questioned Happy.

"I think I've heard about this flute, it's coming back to me...Lullaby...the cursed song" she pondered out loud. Her eyes then quickly widened in fear "Its death magic!" she exclaimed.

"Of course!" exclaimed Kurama "I never saw this flute in my time but I did hear about it! This girl is smart, good thing you brought her along!" stated Kurama, it was rare for her to compliment one of the other wizards especially someone new like Lucy.

"If it's death magic how does it work through a flute?" questioned Naruto.

"Is it like a song or an incantation?" asked Gray.

"I'm not sure how it works but it's a forbidden spell, no one is allowed to use it, it's just that dangerous" explained Lucy "If I'm right about this Lullaby is by far one of the worst of forbidden spells in existence!"

"If its Zeref's magic then it must affect more than one person at a time, we have to go now!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Be careful, you don't know where it's going to be used or how or even its range. You must exercise caution!" warned Kurama, Naruto nodded. As he jumped into the car with the others getting in behind him and Erza once again taking the driver's seat. They then took off along the train at a great speed causing Natsu to instantly feel motion sick once more.

* * *

In the Town of Clover stood a building where the guild masters of the local guilds were currently holding their meeting. The town was cut off from the rest of the world save for one railway line making it a perfect meeting place.

"I'm jealous of you guys Maky and Ruzy! You're wizards are so alive and they're such cutie pies!" exclaimed Master Bob as he swirled around Makarov and Hiruzen. He was a rather fat and flamboyant man with scratchy stubble for a beard and absolutely no hair on his head. He also wore a pink tank top that was a few sizes too small and a pair of pink and purple striped shorts with pink high heels as his shoes. Although he was a flamboyant drag queen he was the fearsome Master of the Blue Pegasus Guild. And yes he is a man "I heard you've got a new girl that gave some big shot quite the spanking" fawned Master Bob.

"Yeah that's Lucy our newest recruit" stated Makarov "And she's got a body that won't quit!" he exclaimed earning a nod of agreement from Hiruzen who stood next to him.

"Oh you guys are so naughty!" exclaimed Bob.

"I wouldn't be joking around if I were you guys Makarov" stated another man as he approached them. He was a lot taller than everyone else and was slender with a fearsome attire that included a spike dog collar around his neck and a tight black shirt. He had medium length light brown hair and wore dark sunglasses over his eyes. He was Master Goldmine of the Quattro Cerberus Guild "You guys may have spirited wizards but you gotta admit they go overboard sometimes. Some of the magic council members are starting to get overly cautious about Fairy Tail" warned Goldmine.

"Oh those guys are just jealous because our wizards are hot!" exclaimed a drunk Makarov.

"Oh?" said a voice from nearby as a slender woman in her thirties appeared next to Bob. She had bright green eyes but only one of them was visible as her ankle length brown hair covered half of her face. She was adorned in a long sleeve blue dress that parted on the side revealing the fishnet stockings that she wore underneath as well as a pair of shorts that covered her crotch area from being visible to the perverted men she was around; though this didn't stop Makarov from fuming wildly. Her name was Mei Terumi and while she was not a guild master she was the strongest wizard in the guild and had accompanied her master to this meeting out of loyalty "You shouldn't talk about your wizards like that, as a woman I cannot allow such talk" she warned.

They were suddenly interrupted by a loud purple bird that flew over to them shouting "Master Makarov, letter for Master Makarov!"

"Engagement for Master Makarov?" questioned Mei as her eye began to widen "Are they making fun of me?" she wondered in a panic.

"It's Mirajane sir" said the bird as Makarov took the letter. He then rubbed the insignia on the letter causing a small magic circle to emerge and the hologram of Mirajane to come out of it.

"Hello Master, hope you're enjoying your conference" smiled Mirajane as she appeared from the letter. Makarov quickly ushered the other guild masters to gather around and look at the Fairy Tail poster girl.

"Oh Master you're not going to believe what happened!" exclaimed Mirajane "It may be the greatest thing in the history of Fairy Tail. Erza, Naruto, Gray, Wendy and Natsu all teamed up!" exclaimed Mirajane in an ecstatic joy "An amazing combination, they've probably formed the strongest team in Fairy Tail!"

Makarov and Hiruzen's expressions quickly changed to fear and panic as the very real thought of that team causing complete and utter destruction could in fact become reality.

"They could destroy an entire city!" exclaimed Makarov.

"Don't worry the conference will be over soon and we should be able to get back by tomorrow afternoon!" assured Hiruzen.

"Looks like the council has a good reason to be worried" laughed Goldmine.

"Those wizards are all engaged!" shrieked Mei and everyone gave her a confused look "They're so much younger than me too! I'm running out of time!" she cried.

* * *

After overhearing an incident at Kunugi Station Erza immediately drove the car towards the town of Oshibana; where Eisenwald was apparently headed towards in order to enact their plan. Erza continued to drive at a reckless speed but she wasn't intending to slow down, after all lives were at stake. As they drove Happy attempted to recall something he had to tell Lucy but he couldn't put his finger on it.

They eventually arrived at Oshibana Station where it was clear that something was not quite right, smoke was rising out of the station and it was surrounded by local authorities who were forbidding anyone from entering the station.

They immediately got out of the car and Erza began to question all the guards as to what was going on but none of them would answer he so she just knocked them out as an alternative. Lucy just rolled her eyes as Erza continued to pound through the guards "Her questioning method is a little redundant" stated Lucy.

"Erza's got her own way of doing things" explained Gray.

"Put some clothes on man!" exclaimed Naruto as he hit Gray over the back of the head.

"I like that ice wizard" stated Kurama.

"Wendy save me!" pleaded Natsu as he lay on the ground drooling from the after effects of his motion sickness catastrophe.

"I'm sorry Natsu, I don't think Troia will help with the after effects" smiled Wendy as she patted Natsu on the head.

"Get up!" exclaimed Carla in discontent.

Erza had now dispatched of all the guards and she slowly approached her comrades "It looks like the Eisenwald guild is inside...let's go in" she stated and the others nodded.

They proceeded to head into the train station, as they walked through they saw that a lot of rune knights had been knocked out. It was understandable since they were up against an entire magical guild, they stood no chance.

They eventually came to a clearing where the entire Eisenwald guild gathered and all of them laughed menacingly at the small Fairy Tail contingent. "Welcome to our parlour Fairy Tail flies!" laughed a man who was perched atop the railing. He was a tall man and mildly muscular who wore no discernible shirt to cover his torso and abdomen. He did wear the bottom part of a torn black robe with a small torn scarf around his neck. He had long silver hair that covered a portion of his face and a series of blue marking across his face and body. He also carried with him a small scythe.

"You fiend!" hissed Erza "I take it that you're Erigor!" Erigor simply laughed.

"What are you going to do with Lullaby!?" demanded Naruto in a burst of rage, he had remained calm for most of the mission but he hated dark guilds and would stop at nothing to stop this one from executing their plan "Tell us and we won't hurt you...that much" threatened Naruto.

"Naruto don't threaten them we're outnumbered!" hissed Lucy.

"It's not the number of wizards that matters Lucy, it's their heart and I'm willing to bet that our hearts outweigh their hearts at least ten fold!"

Erigor just began laughing until he swopped himself over to a series of speakers "You know it's funny that train stations have plenty of these things planted everywhere" he laughed "I wonder how far can they reach when put to the limit?" he questioned rhetorically.

"You want to broadcast the Lullaby song!" exclaimed Wendy "That's awful! How could you do such a thing!?" she screamed.

"I wonder how many people have gathered like idiots to see what's going on? I could probably wipe them all out!" laughed Erigor.

"What reason do you have to hurt the innocent people of this town!?" demanded Erza.

"This is a cleansing of all the fools out there who fail to appreciate their rights and they simply turn a blind eye to the ones who have had their rights stripped away so I, the Reaper, have come to punish them!" snarled Erigor.

"You think that's going to get you your rights back?" questioned Lucy "This is the reason why your rights were taken away in the first place, you don't deserve any rights! You're a monster!" she shrieked.

Erigor began to twitch slightly as he released a series of wind slicers towards Lucy who gasped as she saw the attack come towards her but in the blink of an eye Naruto stood in front of her and merely accepted the attack and brushed it off as a green light bathed his body and then disappeared. Naruto glared at Erigor menacingly but the Reaper just continued to smile wickedly.

"Thank you" breathed Lucy as her heartbeat began to return to normal.

"We don't want our rights back stupid girl, we want power and then we can wash away the sins of the past by ushering in a new age, just like the goals of our superiors!" laughed Erigor.

"Superiors?" questioned Naruto.

"You're all insane!" hissed Carla as she sat on top of Wendy's head.

"We're ushering in a new age of darkness!" exclaimed one of the wizards who was in front of the Eisenwald mob. He wore an all white outfit and had his black hair tied into a ponytail. Upon hearing this man speak Natsu quickly shot up off of the ground in a heated fury.

"Eisenwald dude I knew I recognised that voice!" exclaimed Natsu "Oh? Looks like we've got a party here!" laughed Natsu as he looked at the crowd of dark wizards and smiled.

Suddenly a cloaked figure wearing an orange mask came running into the room and fell over on the floor in between the two factions of wizards "Oh alright!" he exclaimed "Looks like these idiots fell right into your trap Erigor! Sweet as!" laughed the man as he got up off the ground and began to jump around happily.

The Fairy Tail wizards all looked at him oddly, it didn't look like he was from Eisenwald since he wore the same cloak as the man who attacked Erza and Naruto in Konoha. He might have been a dark wizard but he acted like an innocent child.

"Yes Tobi, I won't rest however until everyone has heard this melody of death, even these wizards here!" laughed Erigor.

"Alright!" exclaimed Tobi as he jumped up and gave Erigor a thumbs up he then turned to the Fairy Tail wizards and began to blow raspberries at them "You guys are screwed!" he laughed "That reminds me I have toast in the toaster be right back!" exclaimed Tobi as he ran out of the room in a crazed flurry with his hands flailing everywhere.

Kurama had appeared and was watching the whole scene unfold "Tobi?" she wondered to herself "No...That can't be him" she thought but her thoughts were soon interrupted when Lucy began to shout.

"This is the strongest team Fairy Tail has to offer, you'd better be ready!" she warned.

Erigor began to rise above everyone "Teach them the terror of the dark guild Eisenwald!" he ordered and with that he disappeared in a blur.

Naruto responded quickly "Natsu, Gray we'll go after him!" ordered Naruto "If the three of us work together, Erigor has no chance!" exclaimed Naruto. The three of them then ran off in the same direction that Tobi went leaving Erza, Wendy, Lucy, Happy and Carla alone with the rest of the Eisenwald guild. A few of the members left to go after the boys but there were still a large number of members to deal with.

"We'll catch up with them once we're done here" stated Erza simply.

"Three girls against an entire magical guild?" questioned Lucy.

"We'll be fine" stated Erza "Wendy are you up for this?" she asked. Wendy just nodded with a look of determination on her face; she wanted to stop these wizards as much as anyone else. The Eisenwald crowd began to laugh as they readied themselves to brawl with the Fairy Tail maidens.

"Let's do this!" exclaimed Erza as she pulled a sword out of thin air and dove into the crowd of wizards immediately slashing through a group of them "If you insult the Fairy Tail guild or my comrades in my presence, none of you will come out of here without a missing limb!" threatened Erza. None of the men were threatened yet and they immediately charged at her but she requipped a spear and slashed through them immediately and with ease.

"She's amazing!" exclaimed Lucy.

"She's just getting warmed up" smirked Happy.

Seeing that Erza was a lot more difficult than anticipated, the men began to charge at the youngest among them, Wendy. But as they closed in on her she spread her arms out and shouted "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" causing a series of wind streams to fly out of her arms and cut through the enemies.

"Erza!" called Wendy as she extended her arms and formed a magic circle beneath her "I'll give you some aid! Power of the stout arms that tears the heavens ARMS!" cried Wendy as she surrounded Erza with a light blue aura that increased her offensive capabilities. Erza quickly swung the spear around and slashed through a lot more enemies with one attack.

"No!" exclaimed one of the Eisenwald thugs "This can't be, it's Titania and the Sky Maiden!" he shrieked in fear. As Wendy and Erza proceeded to thin out the enemies.

"Alright it's my time to help!" exclaimed Lucy. Carla just rolled her eyes and scoffed while Happy stifled laughter "What's that for!?" hissed Lucy but she got no response. She then pulled out one of her gold keys and swung it around "Open Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!" exclaimed Lucy and a gold light emerged from her key as a tall and bulky bull man emerged wielding an axe.

"Moo!" he roared as he came out "Miss Lucy I will protect your nice body! Then come and give me a smooooooch!"

"Not now just charge at them!" ordered Lucy and Taurus nodded as he swung his mighty axe around and dispatched more of the Eisenwald members. Though their forces seemed never ending as more of them just kept emerging or getting back up.

A group of wizards surrounded Taurus, he attempted to beat through them but they were overwhelming him "Lucy!" exclaimed Wendy "I'll aid your spirit Arms! Vernier!" she shouted and suddenly Taurus was bathed in the same aura that Erza was but he felt lighter and more mobile as well as stronger. He then swung his might axe around and dispatched of the group of men that had surrounded Lucy.

"No one is touching this nice body!" shouted Taurus as he obliterated the enemy forces.

"That was impressive" admired Erza. Lucy quickly began cheering as she had gained Erza's approval but that was quickly taken away "This spirit, the way he talks about your body, I find it rather insulting."

There were now only a small amount of members left as Erza, Wendy and Lucy dispatched through most of them with ease "Hmm?" pondered Erza "I'll end this quickly Requip: Heaven's Wheel!" she shouted as she changed into her infamous armour and sent out a flurry of swords in a circle formation that smashed through the remaining goons with ease. She then returned to her standard armour. There was one remaining member but he quickly ran out of the room as the rest of his allies lay on the floor defeated.

"Oh man! I think I'm in love!" exclaimed Lucy.

"I would imagine that he's going after Erigor, Lucy go after him!" ordered Erza and Lucy and Happy quickly ran after him, not wanting to anger Erza. Erza then knelt down on the floor, she seemed exhausted but she was hiding it.

"Erza are you okay?" asked Wendy as she approached Erza.

"I'm fine, go after Lucy she might need help!" ordered Erza, Wendy just nodded but was still concerned about Erza. However she was in no position to argue with her and so she and Carla headed after Lucy and Happy.

"I used up too much magic on the magic mobile" huffed Erza as she shakily got to her feet "Naruto...it's on you now" she stated as she slowly walked out the room.

* * *

Naruto, Gray and Natsu were still running through the Train Station, they had picked up a very faint trail of Erigor. He was still in the area but the trail was getting weaker. As they ran through the train station a series of black tape started to surround them as a man wearing a black and yellow outfit appeared in front of them "That's far enough for you!" Naruto just rolled his eyes and blasted through the man with a swirl of raw energy.

"Sorry we don't have time to deal with idiots" mocked Naruto as the wizard lay on the floor motionless and with a look of fear on his face.

"That's scary!" exclaimed Natsu and Gray in unison.

"You have to fight that when we get back!" laughed Gray.

"At least I have the balls to do it!" snickered Natsu.

Gray groaned "Hey Naruto!" he called out and Naruto turned his face back to the wizard behind him "When you're done with Natsu I want to fight you too" stated Gray.

"Sure...why don't you fight me together, then you might stand a chance" laughed Naruto.

"Is he making fun of us?!" exclaimed Gray.

"I'm not working with Gray twice!" shouted Natsu.

The three of them then came across a room called 'Control Room' where they could hear someone's voice singing from the other side. Naruto quickly burst through the door where he found a very startled Tobi jumping back in his chair and almost dropping his freshly made toast and coffee.

"Oh you boys startled me" laughed Tobi as he put his feet up on the radio control system, it had been completely obliterated there was no way that Erigor's plan would be successful now "What do you want?" asked Tobi as he ate his food through his mask.

"The speaker's are destroyed? This wasn't Erigor's plan at all?" stated Naruto.

"No it wasn't" stated Tobi blandly but he then began to scream and spit out his coffee "Dammit that's hot!" he hissed as he slammed his mug on the desk.

"If that's not his plan...then what is it?" asked Naruto.

"I'm not telling, that would be dobbing!" laughed Tobi, suddenly there was a loud, windy noise echoing from outside the station.

"Gray, Natsu go find out what that is" ordered Naruto "I'll see if I can get some answers out of this guy" Gray and Natsu both nodded before glaring at each other and running out of the door at the exact same time, barely managing to squeeze out.

As soon as they were gone Naruto turned his attention to Tobi who was just staring aimlessly into space. Naruto quickly grabbed him by the scruff on his neck and held him against the nearby wall "You're from Akatsuki! Why are you here helping Eisenwald?" demanded Naruto.

"Ooooh scary" laughed Tobi "Just kidding you don't scare me!" he laughed as he fazed through Naruto and walked directly through him standing behind him. Naruto quickly turned around to see Tobi staring at a screen "Hmm...Excellent Clover's been completely sealed off!" laughed Tobi "Those geezers won't know what hit them!"

"What!?" exclaimed Naruto.

"Whoops" said Tobi sarcastically, Naruto couldn't see his face but the orange mask he was wearing reminded him of someone, though he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Clover is where the Guild Master's have their conference! And this must be the one way route in and out of that town!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Well done kid, two plus two" mocked Tobi.

"So Erigor plans to use the flute on the guild masters!" exclaimed Naruto "Where is he!?" he demanded as he trapped Tobi in an energy sphere. But Tobi once again fazed through the construct and upon leaving it, caused it to destabilise.

Tobi stared at Naruto, his one visible eye poking out of the hole in his mask "You foolish Fairy Tail maggots think that you can win? You don't know the power of the dark wizard nor his followers!" stated Tobi; his voice had become much more dark and sinister as opposed to the goofy facade from earlier. This dark voice sent chills down Naruto's spine as he remembered who the man was.

"You!" hissed Naruto as he punched Tobi in the abdomen "You were there that night...the one who killed my mother!" he screamed as he released a burst of energy but Tobi quickly fazed through Naruto and caused a series of explosions to fill the room as he made his way to the door.

"Did I kill your mother?" Tobi asked as if to pose the uncertainty of what happened to Naruto, he then let out a smug laugh "Give my best to the Nine Tails" he stated as he walked out of the room.

Naruto slowly got off the ground he had been hit with some of the explosions but he wasn't in any immediate danger "Kurama!" he called out and Kurama quickly appeared next to him "Do you know him?" he asked.

"That's Tobi, he was there that night, as you know and he tried to capture me when I was weakened" she explained.

"Dammit!" exclaimed Naruto as he punched a nearby wall "We'll talk about him later; I have to go find the others and tell them about the guild masters!" Kurama nodded as Naruto ran out of the room.

* * *

Erza was lying on the ground just outside of the station; around her was a large wind barrier that Erigor had just created that would keep them trapped within while he executed his actual plan. Gray had now come outside to find out what had been going on "Erza!" he exclaimed as he ran over to her to help her up "What happened?" he asked.

"Erigor trapped us in here; this was all a ruse to keep us distracted while he carried out his real plan. Curse him!" exclaimed Erza as she got up off the ground "What happened to Natsu and Naruto?" she asked.

"Natsu ran into some guy who he had history with, the one who attacked him on the train and Naruto's interrogating some guy with a black cloak covered in red clouds" explained Gray.

"Regardless we need to group up and find a way out of the wind barrier so we can defeat Erigor and stop whatever plan he has" stated Erza.

Just then Naruto came out from inside the train station, he was instantly overwhelmed by the insane wind pressure that was in the area but immediately shrugged it off "I know what Erigor's plan is!"

"Naruto" stated Erza "What happened to you?" she asked as she saw the damage the explosions caused scattered around his body.

"Not important" he stated "Erigor is after the Guild Masters, he's headed to Clover as we speak so that he can unleash Lullaby's melody of doom" explained Naruto.

"What!?" exclaimed Erza "How dare he!" she cried out and she instantly began to punch the walls of the wind barrier but every time she did the sound of the wind cutting through her metal gloves could be heard.

"Erza stop it!" exclaimed Naruto as he embraced Erza from behind and pulled her away from the barrier "You're just going to hurt yourself!" he exclaimed as he was still holding onto her he then noticed that his hands had actually been placed onto Erza's breasts and he instantly began blushing as he retracted his hands and backed away "I'm sorry!" he said instantly.

"I-It's okay" she responded awkwardly, Naruto then saw that there was a bit of blood seeping out of her arm.

"You're hurt" he stated as he reached out his hand but Erza raised her hand to stop him.

"I'm fine" she assured and Naruto just nodded and stepped back "We need to find the others and figure out a way to dispel the wind barrier; the guild master's lives hang in the balance!"

Suddenly a thought popped into Naruto's head "The guy who unsealed Lullaby, the one with the black hair and white outfit, he should be able to dispel the wind barrier...if we can convince him" suggested Naruto.

"Oh I can convince him no problem" stated Erza with a rage filled glare in her eyes as she clenched her fists "We just need to find him first" she stated.

"Hey!" exclaimed Gray "I think that's the guy Natsu's fighting right now!" exclaimed Gray; he had somehow taken off his clothes during all the discussion.

"Take us there now!" demanded Erza "And put some clothes on!" she exclaimed as she smacked him across the face.

The three of them ran through the train station to an area where they could hear loud banging and crashing noises; the types of sounds that would normally be heard when Natsu was fighting someone in a closed space.

When they arrived they saw Natsu standing over the beaten Kageyama with his fists on fire "Natsu do not harm him any further!" exclaimed Erza as she jumped at them with her sword drawn causing Natsu to begin cowering. But Erza dove past him and slashed the wall next to Kageyama "You! You will dispel the wind barrier and you will do so without complaint!" she demanded.

"Just do it man!" warned a panicked Natsu "She's crazy!"

"Okay I'll do it just don't hurt me!" pleaded Kageyama, this pleased Erza so sheathed her sword but just as Kageyama was about to stand up he began to scream in pain as Tobi's upper body pierced right through his body.

"Peek a boo!" taunted Tobi as he came through Kageyama followed by an explosion that knocked him into the air. Everyone stared in horror as their final hope of escaping the wind barrier just got destroyed.

"Kage!" exclaimed Erza as she walked over to his motionless body "Don't die on us! You're the only one who can dispel the wind barrier!" she said as she began to beat his lifeless body.

"Erza stop it he can't use magic in this condition, we need Wendy!" exclaimed Naruto. Erza ignored him and just continued to attempt to beat life into Kageyama.

As Erza continued to beat him, Wendy and Lucy arrived on the scene having been unsuccessful in tracking down the man that was supposedly going after Erigor but they did manage to see the wind barrier and had a minor idea of what was going on "What happened?" asked Wendy as she and Lucy rushed over to them.

"Who is this man?" asked Carla as she pointed to Kageyama.

"Ahhhhhhh! A talking cat!" shrieked Tobi as he appeared behind the group.

"You!" growled Natsu as he launched himself at Tobi.

"Natsu don't do it!" warned Naruto but it was too late and just as Natsu was about to collide with Tobi he rippled and Natsu passed right through him and was hit with an explosion as he passed through the mysterious man. Natsu consumed the flames to recover from the damage so he barely sustained an injury.

Tobi laughed smugly before he quickly dashed towards Kageyama and lifted his body up and fazed through a nearby wall, all in the blink of an eye. He quickly stuck his head back in to the room "Have a nice day, Fairy Tail" he taunted before he disappeared.

* * *

Tobi took Kageyama outside of the wind barrier, he could get through it thanks to his magic and he could take others with him so he wasn't worried when the wind barrier was created. Outside the wind barrier was even more violent as the wind had created a dust storm throughout the town that kept the people inside their homes.

Kageyama coughed as he slowly came in and out of consciousness "Where am I?" he groaned.

"You fool, you nearly ruined your guild's plan" stated Tobi as he lay Kageyama down on the ground just outside the wind barrier "Lay here and rest, I still have use for you" snickered Tobi. Kageyama was still in a daze so he just shut his eyes and continued to rest.

As Tobi was about to head off he heard a distant flapping noise and he looked up to see a large white bird descend towards him and on top of that bird was one of his associates, Deidara. Like Tobi, Deidara also wore the signature Akatsuki cloak but Deidara's face was visible as was his long blond hair that was tied into a long ponytail.

"Well Tobi I see everything went as you predicted it, what a beautiful work of art you've created" admired Deidara as his bird landed on the ground and disappeared allowing Deidara to walk to Tobi.

"Oh hey Deidara!" exclaimed Tobi in a really excited "Boy am I sure glad you're here" he said with a relieved tone. Deidara just smiled sinisterly as Tobi whispered something into his ear.

* * *

Wendy and Lucy had now been informed about the severity of the situation they were in and there was the pressing need to escape from the wind barrier as the situation would only worsen the longer they remained trapped. Since their plan to have Wendy heal Kageyama failed they needed to think of another plan. Fortunately Happy remembered what he had to tell Lucy earlier; on a quest they went on earlier in the week they encountered a celestial wizard with the Virgo key whom they defeated and since he was defeated Virgo wanted to make a contract with Lucy. At first Lucy dismissed Happy but he then raised the point that Virgo could dig holes with ease and that she could get them out of the wind barrier. Lucy quickly summoned the spirit and she willingly complied with their need for a hole, though there was some issue relating to her current appearance and she addressed Lucy as "Princess."

When they got out they instantly noticed Kageyama who was lying on the ground nearby completely motionless. They quickly ran over to him and Wendy instantly began to treat his wounds "We can't just leave him here, we should take him with us" suggested Wendy as she healed his wounds.

"Of course we should, he could need further treatment" stated Erza.

Wendy instantly began pouting "Erza doesn't have faith in my healing abilities" she cried as she finished off healing Kageyama.

"You won't stop him" groaned Kageyama as he came to "You'll never be able to catch up to Erigor, it's over" he stated and everyone just gave him a menacing glare.

"Hey?" questioned Lucy "Where's Natsu?" she asked. Everyone looked around to see if Natsu was nearby but he had completely disappeared as had Happy.

"The blue cat and pink haired man went off after coming out of the hole Princess" informed Virgo who was still present among them.

"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Lucy.

"My apologies Princess, I assumed it was part of the plan" apologised Virgo "I believe punishment is in order, yes?" she questioned as she eyed Lucy's whip.

"What!? No!" hissed Lucy in disgust.

"He must have gone after Erigor himself" stated Naruto "Dammit Natsu!"

"In that case we have to catch up to them as quickly as possible!" exclaimed Erza as she ran over to the Magic Four Wheeler that had been parked nearby but as she headed over to the car a sound could be heard from above them.

"Clay Make: Egg Bomb!" shouted the voice from above them and suddenly a relatively large egg sized item descended towards Erza and detonated upon impact knocking her into a nearby building.

"Erza!" exclaimed Naruto as he ran over to her but as he did he saw Deidara swoop down towards him and snatch Erza off of the ground and into the talons of his bird construct.

"Another one?" questioned Naruto as he watched Deidara fly around in the sky "Kurama do you know who he is?" asked Naruto.

"No idea, but he's with Akatsuki so he's dangerous!" warned Kurama.

Naruto knew they had to act quickly, it looked like Deidara was simply there to distract them from reaching Erigor otherwise he would have just made off with Erza after snatching her but he was simply flying around taunting them.

"Wendy!" shouted Naruto "Hide Kageyama, he's in no condition to fight!" ordered Naruto, Wendy nodded and she and Carla quickly lifted up Kageyama and placed him behind a house where he would be out of harm's way.

Lucy and Gray headed over to Naruto "He's a maker wizard" stated Gray as they observed his strange flight patterns "He's using one of his constructs as transport, that's impressive" he continued to observe.

"We need to get Erza down so we can defeat this guy and go after Erigor!" exclaimed Naruto. Deidara then released another form of clay that descended to the ground but this time the clay took on the form of two birds that dived towards Lucy, Gray and Naruto. The three of them quickly jumped out of the way narrowly avoiding the explosion.

Gray immediately got up and used his own magic to counterattack "Ice Make: Hammer!" he shouted as he launched the ice construct at Deidara who simply flew out of its way "Dammit!"

"Virgo!" called Lucy "How high can you jump?" she asked. Virgo didn't respond instead she just begun spinning as she launched herself into the air and spun directly through the head of Deidara's clay bird and then spun back down ramming through one of its wings. The bird staggered slightly but Deidara quickly recovered the damages on his construct and regained the bird's balance "Oh no!" gasped Lucy.

"We need to attack him!" exclaimed Naruto as he began to charge energy and surround himself in an orange aura as the five tailed cloak of Kurama surrounded him. Lucy gasped at the form "Don't be scared, it's still me" assured Naruto as he used the power of his form to jump up to the bird and break it in half with a burst of energy; freeing Erza from the bird's talon's but causing her to fall from a great distance.

As Erza began to fall Wendy quickly ran over and stretched out her arms "Armour! Vernier!" she shouted and Erza's body was shrouded in a blue aura as she slowly hit the ground with less impact and minimal injury. "Thank goodness" sighed Wendy.

Deidara's bird quickly recovered and Deidara quickly released a flurry of snakes and spiders made of clay that lunged towards Naruto, latching onto him and exploding. However Naruto disregarded the explosions and lunged at Deidara knocking him off the bird with a mighty slash of his fox paws and then releasing a large burst of solar energy from his mouth directly at Deidara.

Deidara quickly surrounded himself in a ball of clay, defending himself from the brunt of the attack "So this is the Nine Tails?" he questioned. Once he sensed the attack had faded he quickly turned his clay into a bird and took flight once again "Well this was fun Naruto" mocked Deidara as he flew above them all. Wendy was busy healing Erza but her injuries were severe, much more severe than Kageyama's. The others just stared menacingly at Deidara but he just laughed "Well I've distracted you long enough, I'm gonna go" he sneered.

"Hey wait!" exclaimed Naruto as he jumped towards Deidara but the Akatsuki members just laughed and took off before Naruto could reach him. Naruto dropped to the ground but landed with ease, kind of like a ninja, he watched as Deidara took off into the distance "He was just here to distract us...he was just toying with us and we took the fight seriously, I wonder how powerful he really is?" questioned Naruto.

* * *

With Erza currently being healed by Wendy, Naruto took the driver's seat of the Magic Four Wheeler and took off at top speed after Naruto and Erigor. Gray had brought Kageyama into the vehicle where he sat with them all and got a lecture from Gray about trying to live life more happily as opposed to the lifestyle of a dark wizard; some of what Gray said seemed to sink in.

Wendy continued to heal Erza and she eventually came to and was very thankful to Wendy for healing her; though she seemed ashamed that she had gotten into that situation to begin with.

As they drove Naruto poured an intense amount of his magic into the SE plug and though it was draining he needed to make up for lost time and catch up to Natsu. Naruto had faith that Natsu would overcome Erigor but they still needed to be prepared for the worst.

Naruto eventually came to a hard stop as he saw Natsu and Happy standing over the unconscious form of Erigor; he had beaten him and stopped him from unleashing the chaos upon the guild master's.

"Natsu!" exclaimed Naruto as he and the others got out of the car and congratulated him on a job well done, although he was reckless he did succeed. As they all gathered around Natsu and congratulated him Kageyama sat in the car in disbelief that Erigor had actually been defeated by someone from Fairy Tail.

As he continued to sit the form of Tobi fazed into the car from the back of the magic car "Kageyama take the flute, now is the perfect time to complete your guild's mission, it's just lying there waiting to be unleashed!" said Tobi in a temptingly evil tone.

"You!" cried Kageyama "You're the one who nearly killed me!"

"No I didn't want to kill you, so you lived" reasoned Tobi "Do not let fear or the ignorant words of these silly little wizards cloud your judgement, remember who you are and remember your true nature. Now go, finish Erigor's work!" hissed Tobi as he disappeared.

The Magic Four Wheeler suddenly began to move as a series of shadows came out of the car and took hold of the flute that was lying on the floor, Kageyama stuck his head around and shouted back to the wizards "See you later flies!" he taunted.

"Kage!" exclaimed Erza.

"What do you think you're doing?" demanded Gray but they just heard his sinister laughter as he disappeared into the horizon.

"That jerk!" screamed Lucy "After what we did for him, he goes and does this!"

"After him!" exclaimed Naruto as they quickly began to chase after him on foot.

* * *

By the time they arrived in Clover it was night time though it seemed that Lullaby hadn't be unleashed yet so at least that was a good sign. The six of them came to a clearing surrounded by trees where they could see Kageyama standing opposite their Master Makarov, the two of them seemed to be engaging in small talk but they had to act quickly to make sure their master was safe.

"Master!" cried Erza as she prepared herself to charge at Kageyama but then Master Bob appeared behind them and ushered them to be quiet, his appearance caused them all to tremble in fear.

"We're just about to get to the good part" he said with a smile, he then saw Naruto, Gray and Natsu "Well aren't you boys yummy" he snickered.

"Hello Master Bob, it's good to see you again" said Naruto politely and uncomfortably as Natsu and Gray cowered behind him.

"Oh my" said Mei as she emerged from the shadows "So many potential husbands...I might have to change guilds" she said as she fawned alongside her master.

"Mei?" questioned Erza "You're here too?" she asked.

"Hello Erza, my you've filled out" mused Mei.

"It's good to see you again" stated Erza.

Mei shot Erza a fierce glare and then leaned in towards Bob's ear "Did she just ask if I'm still single...is she making fun of me?"

"That's Mei from Blue Pegasus!?" exclaimed Lucy "I love her!" she exclaimed but Mei just cast her a questioning look.

"All these women are making fun of me because I'm not married, well I'll show them all!" she hissed as she pulled out a lipstick but Bob raised his hand and ordered her to put it away before he continued to grab onto the Fairy Tail boys.

"Mei is a little sensitive" said Wendy.

"I can tell" stated Lucy "I think Aquarius would have a field day with her" she said fearfully as she imagined the outcome of Aquarius and Mei engaging in conversation.

"Can you guys keep it down over there, we're just about to get to the good part" stated Goldmine as he leaned against a nearby tree and watched as Kageyama neared his mouth to the flute.

It was clear that something inside of him was holding him back and he quickly began to tremble as Makarov gave Kageyama a heart-warming lecture that caused him to drop to his knees causing him to surrender the flute as Makarov said to him "We have to choose our own path and live our lives to the fullest don't let that silly flute get in the way."

As he dropped the flute the Fairy Tail wizards quickly ran towards their master with tears in their eyes as they surrounded him and overwhelmed him with the emotions that were stirred in them by his speech. Wendy leapt onto Makarov and Carla landed on his head while the others stood around him and praised him.

"Well looks like we got here just in time" breathed Erza in relief as she pressed Makarov against her steel chest plate "Master your words were so warm I was almost moved to tears!"

"Hey where's Mr. Sarutobi?" asked Naruto as he looked around and noticed that he was missing.

"Oh he had to go to the bathroom, he missed all the good stuff" stated Makarov. They all laughed but their laughter was quickly drowned out when the flute that was on the ground and began to release its own form of laughter as a purple smoke poured out of it and released some purple electric bursts.

"I grow tired of you cowardly wizards and your antics!" it screamed as it released a huge burst of light "I can no longer hold back, I will come forward and devour you myself!" it hissed. As the light faded they saw a huge wooden monster towering high into the sky, its legs were stretched out from one mountain range to the other and it was radiating pure evil "I shall feast upon your pitiful souls!" it hissed as it looked down upon all of them like they were mere insects.

"So this is the true form of Zeref's legacy" stated Naruto as he looked up at the demon "Goes to show just how powerful a wizard he truly was."

"Naruto be careful" warned Kurama "Zeref hated me and my siblings and his demons want nothing more than to destroy everything in their path!"

Lullaby then leaned down towards the group and stared directly at Kurama "A tailed beast, I think I'll swallow your soul first!" threatened Lullaby as it began to inhale deeply causing everyone in the area to grab hold of something.

"Get away from me!" shrieked Kurama as she placed her hands over her eyes "I don't want anything to do with Zeref leave me alone you ugly monster!" she yelled. Lullaby then began to reach forward but Naruto immediately sliced right through the creature's hand with a hand covered in solar energy, the hand fell off of Lullaby and sat on the ground motionless.

"Listen up demon!" shouted Naruto "Kurama is my friend and so is everyone else you're trying to hurt if you want them you're gonna have to get through me!" he stated as he now took on the highest tailed beast form he had mastered, the six tails cloak.

"Oh? A Jinchuruki has emerged, you will make a fine main dish!" laughed Lullaby "In case you doubt my power I'll give you a little example!" warned the creature as it began charging magic in its mouth.

Just then Hiruzen ran onto the scene quickly zipping up his pants "Makarov what did I miss?" he asked but just as he did that, Lullaby released its magic blast and obliterated an entire mountain in the distance "I see" stated Hiruzen.

Naruto now wore the fiery orange cloak of the fox with six tails flowing around his body, he had been filled with power from the form but it wouldn't hold out long since it consumed a lot of magic power to hold it. He quickly jumped at Lullaby and slashed across its face "Solar Energy: Claw Slash!" shouted Naruto as he filled the claw marks in the demon's face with solar energy, causing it to scream in agony as it backed away from Naruto. Naruto quickly did a mid-air back flip and landed on the shoulder of the demon.

Suddenly Erza descended upon Lullaby in her Heaven's Wheel Armour, sending out her swords in an Omni-directional formation to attack the demon at every angle. This was quickly followed by an attack from Gray as he created a series of lances that pierced right through the demon's body. Natsu and Wendy then made their entry as they were carried by Carla and Happy up towards the demon's face and released a simultaneous Fire and Sky Dragon Roar combination that devastated Lullaby.

"Can they really handle this all by themselves?" asked Lucy.

"Good luck!" shouted the guild masters who had now moved to a somewhat safe distance away from the fight.

"This should be interesting to watch" stated Mei as she watched the wizards repeatedly attack Lullaby.

"Shouldn't you help them?" suggested Lucy.

"Shouldn't you?" replied Mei instantly as she tilted her head at Lucy.

"I'll be quiet now" said Lucy shamefully.

Mei smirked "Besides a woman like me just needs to catch the bouquet at the end, then I'll be fine" she laughed.

"That makes no sense!" exclaimed Lucy.

Naruto quickly dived down to Lullaby's legs and began running through them slashing them with his tails and colliding multiple energies against the creature causing it to stagger. Erza followed this by requipping into her Black Wing Armour and began slashing the left side of its body. Wendy flew onto the right side and began to attack it with a Sky Dragon's Wing Attack.

Lullaby was now getting agitated and began to stomp around "That's it, I'm finishing you all off!" it shouted as it began to inhale deeply causing some plant life to wither and die.

"It's gonna play its song!" exclaimed Lucy but when it released its melody of death all that could be heard were a few scratchy whistles that caused everyone to begin laughing. This only angered Lullaby and it began to stomp around and charge a laser blast that it fired directly at the guild master's but Gray quickly stood in front of the attack and protected them all with an ice shield.

Naruto took this opportunity to go in for the final blow "Everyone hit it with everything you've got now, this is the final blow!" ordered Naruto, everyone nodded and readied themselves.

Gray was the first to initiate and quickly jumped up and covered his hands in ice shouting out "Ice Make: Shuriken!" and instantly a barrage of shuriken came flying down and pierced right through Lullaby.

Wendy followed up as she and Carla flew around to the front of Lullaby, she extended her arms outward and then slammed them together "Wing beat of the Sky Dragon!" she shouted as she created a massive wind storm that filled the area.

Erza quickly followed this attack "Requip: Flight Armour!" exclaimed Erza as she took on the rather revealing armour that increases her speed. She then dashed right through Lullaby in a blur, her sword creating slashes that shattered its body causing its limbs to fall off.

Natsu then began to run along the arm of the creature that had been severed and jumped up to its face and began swirling his flames around "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" shouted Natsu as he released an awesome amount of fire that ignited Lullaby causing it to scream in agony.

Finally Naruto went in for the final attack, he began charging a ball of energy in front of him and the demon form of Kurama began to surround him. The ball was made from the convergence of different types of energies and was black in colour "Tailed Beast Bomb: Energy Overload!" shouted Naruto as he released the bomb and dropped the Kurama aura. As the bomb hit Lullaby it detonated and consumed the entire area causing a bright light to ascend into the sky as the demon reverted back to its flute form.

"Wow!" exclaimed Bob.

"Those guys made defeating Zeref's demon look easy" stated Goldmine in awe.

"Engagements?" questioned Mei in fear.

"Yep there's no doubt about it these guys are the strongest team!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Well done to all of you" stated Hiruzen.

"Wow they did it!" said Kageyama in disbelief "Are all the Fairy Tail Wizard's as strong as these five?" he questioned as he looked at the five of them standing proudly over the remains of the battlefield.

"Aye!" exclaimed Happy as he jumped up near Natsu.

"Nothing is impossible for our guild" smiled Carla.

"We're an awesome guild aren't we!?" laughed Makarov.

"It looks like we owe a big round of thanks to the Fairy Tail guild" stated Goldmine.

"Yeah but...they went overboard!" exclaimed the other guild masters. The Fairy Tail wizards turned around and their eyes widened as they saw the results of what they did, the former conference hall was now a hole in the ground filled with rubble. A few mountain tops were also missing.

Naruto quickly picked up Makarov who had passed out after seeing what had happened and he ran off with the others following him as they ran from the angry guild masters. Although they were in big trouble they all ran with smiles on their faces as Fairy Tail wizards do after a job well done.

* * *

They eventually made their way back to Onibas Station where they waited to get some transport back to Magnolia. Makarov had since come to reality as he thought up of a good idea to repay the debt they now owed "Tsunade just cleared an SS mission so as soon as we find her I'll use her rewards from the mission to pay them back!" exclaimed Makarov.

"We just need to find her stated Hiruzen, Naruto, Erza, any leads?" he asked.

"No the villagers said that she headed for Magnolia after passing through town" stated Erza. Makarov just sighed but suddenly perked up as he heard a familiar voice cry out "Boyou!"

"Tonton?" everyone except Lucy asked in unison.

"Who is Tonton?" asked Lucy.

"She's a talking pig" stated Natsu bluntly and Lucy nearly fell out of her seat. They all turned their heads and saw Tsunade and Tonton approach them.

"Tsunade what are you doing in Onibas!?" demanded Makarov.

"I was just relaxing after a tiring mission" stated Tsunade.

"This is THE Tsunade!?" exclaimed Lucy in awe "She's so pretty and much younger than I thought she'd be" stated Lucy.

"Oh thank you" stated Tsunade as she smiled happily "and who is this lovely young lady?" asked Tsunade.

"I'm Lucy nice to meet you" she smiled and Tsunade smiled back at her.

"I like you, you think I'm young" laughed Tsunade.

"You know there is a popular casino here in Onibas" stated Naruto as he eyed Tsunade.

"Tsunade we need your reward to pay off some debt!" exclaimed Makarov.

"Oh yeah um about that...this casino is really fun" laughed Tsunade.

"Don't tell me you lost all the money!" exclaimed Makarov.

"Okay I won't tell you" said Tsunade and she remained silent and Makarov just fainted in his chair.

Everyone laughed as they boarded the train and headed back to Magnolia. Makarov and Hiruzen needed to think of a different strategy to pay back the debts owed but at least they found Tsunade and stopped a dark guild, so really everything turned out fine in the end...at least for the time being.


End file.
